A Gap Across Time
by LadyYuina
Summary: Sesshoumaru ends up in Kagome's time, trapped there. Can love blossom between two beings so different? Danger lurks in the shadows. Who will watch over the Kingdom? SessxKag, InuxKik... RxR please!
1. I: Traveling, Here to There

Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to own the characters they all belong to Takahashi Rumiko, not me.

A/N: Hello, everyone! This is my first Inuyasha fic, I hope you all like it! In this story, Sesshoumaru will have both arms, no tail, the fluffy thing is just a decoration. Please read and review, good or bad, say whatever it is that you're feeling!

Thoughts are written in textlike "_this_."

A Gap Across Time

I: Traveling, Here to There

Sharp golden eyes darted back and forth, trying to catch a glimpse of his opponent from amongst the dense tree shrubs. So much as a crackle of a leaf on the dirt floor made the youkai send his whip in that direction, splitting the leaflet cleanly in two. Hiding in the darkness, a agitated hanyou sat in wait, opting for the perfect moment to strike. The hit had to be critical - extremely fast even, to land a blow to the ominous youkai out in the clearing. A soft snarl escaped the hidden being's lips, frustrated that there was no opening for an attack. The other creature was too heavily guarded, too alert.

"I suggest you show yourself, Inuyasha. It's not like you to hide away from me," the tall youkai remarked. The crescent shaped moon on his forehead stood out as a pale magenta colored tattoo that marred his beautiful face. "You're making me think you're a coward."

"Keh, dream on!" Inuyasha burst from the clearing, obviously wishing to hurt his brother. Inuyasha gasped then, when he realized what he did was a mistake, his brother had tempted him out of his hiding place on purpose. Turning his head, he only managed to catch a glimpse of a poisoned claw clamping down on his vulnerable throat. Searing pain seeped through the pores on his skin, he cried out in agony from the immeasurable pain. Tetsusaiga fell from his grip as he clutched both hands on his attacker's arm, trying to claw him enough to make him let go. His brother did not relent.

"You cannot defeat me."

"Se . . . Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha cried out in aguish. He clawed harder at Sesshoumaru's arm, he was sure that blood was pouring from the marks he'd created . He could smell the stench of it in the air. The grip on his throat tightened, forcing Inuyasha to let out a silent scream . . . Mustering up all his strength, he kicked his brother a hefty knock to the stomach. Sesshoumaru loosened his hold just enough to allow Inuyasha a chance to dash out of his clutches. He made sure to grab his sword as he jumped back, standing in a battle-stance, aiming to strike.

"You wish to pursue this fight?" Sesshoumaru pulled his own sword out, the heavenly blade known as Tenseiga, a unless object to him really. "I think it rather unwise, if it weren't for father's will I'd have slain you eons ago."

"Whatever. I'm sure father's will doesn't mean a thing to you!" Inuyasha lunged at Sesshoumaru, barely missing chopping into a shoulder blade. As the youkai dashed off into the night, the hanyou followed, refusing to give up the chase. "Are you running, Sesshoumaru? A mighty Demon Lord of the west like you, dashing away against the likes of me?"

"I have no time for petty issues, be gone," Sesshoumaru denounced, quite rudely. He sped up to try and lose his brother, but it only encouraged Inuyasha to try harder. Something was out of place, you could call it intuition, whatever it may be, Sesshoumaru knew something was wrong . . . it was all happening now.

_What is this feeling?_

"This is no petty issue! Let your god forsaken providence rot in hell for all I care, you still have a match with me!" Inuyasha cried out, overly annoyed. Sesshoumaru paid Inuyasha no mind, his only focus was reaching the palace. As he neared it, something felt really out of place, he couldn't comprehend what he was feeling, some odd smell was also present . . . "What the hell?" Both of the dog demon brothers halted before the gigantic mass of a kingdom, surprised to see chaos ensuing within its own gates. "What is the meaning of this? What the hell is wrong with your haughty royalty pals!"

"Do not ask me such questions." Sesshoumaru ran closer, golden eyes searching the expanse for a certain child and toad demon. _Why are all my men fighting one another?_ When the small child caught sight of her Lord she made sure to run to him, shouting out incoherent lines as she did so. "Rin, calm down. Tell me what has happened here."

Just then, the toad demon appeared - Sesshoumaru found it odd he came out of nowhere no less. "Lord Sesshoumaru, oh, it's awful! All the guards have gone insane, even everyone inside the palace! Rin and I were dutifully watching the place for you when--"

"A big white light washed over the whole palace!" Rin interrupted, she felt she had the right to tell him part of the story. "After that, everyone started fighting! I'll admit the light was pretty, but it's a bad thing . . . How are we going to stop everyone, Lord Sesshoumaru?"

"How about I simply slash them all down? They were useless guards anyways to be affected by some white light. This all sounds like bull," Inuyasha stated. He stood a little ways away from his brother, ready to attack at any given moment. "It wouldn't be a bad idea to get a whole new horde of demons to work for us."

"Such arrogant talk will get you nowhere, be silent Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru reprimanded. If he could feel all the pressure that was placed on his brother to run this place he wouldn't be so hasty in such idiotic actions. Getting new servants and guards would mean reevaluating the trust factor all over again, Sesshoumaru wished not to go through such a task once more. Besides, there were already few people he trusted that resided within the providence, Inuyasha was no exception, though they are of flesh and blood. Sesshoumaru continued to stare at the fighting youkai, thinking of a way to stop them. He knew that shouting alone was going to be useless against all the noise that surrounded everyone.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, we must do something quickly before they destroy themselves!" Jaken, the demon toad said, frantic at best, with his insistent hopping from one foot to the other. "I shall aid you in whatever way you may need me! Just say it and I will try my best!"

_Perhaps this will settle this matter._ The stoic youkai held out his Tenseiga, focusing all his energy into the sword - he was going to need to make a big enough of a distraction to distort everyone's attention to him. Soft blue aura surrounded the blade, from its tip to the end of the hilt, Rin and Jaken watched with morbid fascination, Inuyasha, with faint curiosity. Arching his sword upwards, the Demon Lord brought it down across the dirt floor, causing a big rift within the earth. A loud thunderous roar bellowed from the impact, making all youkai turn in the direction of the sound . . . All fighting ceased, at last. It was as if the trance-like state they were in finally broke.

"Is this what you call worthy of being my servants and guards?" Sesshoumaru started, he was going to deal them a hefty blow to their pride. Needless to say, they deserved it. "Why was it that you were all fighting amongst one another? What did this so called white light do to you? Were your wills so weak that you all let it affect you? Spineless idiots." _I'm curious to find out more about this light, seeing the result of such a thing will cause me to trek with caution. Is there another Lord out there trying to overthrow me?_

As if regaining their senses, all the youkai fell to their knees, asking for forgiveness. Inuyasha cockily said, "if I were the one ruling I'd have you all killed for being such pathetic losers. We all know Sesshoumaru won't be as harsh, he's just a pathetic loser like the rest of you!"

"Inuyasha, if you wish to badmouth me and my subjects I suggest you go elsewhere. As you can see, you are not needed here." Sesshoumaru gave him a stern glare, clearly showing him he meant it. Inuyasha muttered something under his breath, saying their match was not over and that he was coming back for that. He spat on the ground before bounding away, everyone watched him as he left. "Such insolence, I wonder at times why I deal with such a being like him."

"Pay him no mind, my Lord, you now have everything under your control again. You should be happy." Sesshoumaru looked at the toad demon inquiringly, he gulped. "I mean Rin and I are happy that everything is back to normal, right Rin?" Jaken looked towards the girl, hoping she was going to back him up. Instead, the child said she didn't care for what he thought, as long as Sesshoumaru was all right. "You . . . you . . . impudent child!" Rin stuck out her tongue at him, Jaken growled, hopping up and down in anger.

-----

The overly powerful dog youkai sat at his throne within a large chamber. Enormous windows bordered along the walls of the room, causing shadowed windowpanes to reflect their darkness upon the marble floor. Standing several feet away from Sesshoumaru's position stood his most trusted counselor, Saiai. His long flowing greens bangs covered most of his left pupil, showing a small slit of eerie red that was deemed as his eye, he was handsome at best, very tall and well-mannered. His large red robes only heightened the bright flame color within his lava orbs. He bowed before Sesshoumaru, silently asking for permission to speak.

"Proceed."

"Very well, Lord Sesshoumaru. As you have already witnessed earlier, all the youkai were fighting one another. The white light that came over the sky was a strange and beautiful sight indeed, no one had a clue that it would cause such an effect." Sesshoumaru cocked a silver eyebrow at the counselor. "I'm afraid I don't know what created such a phenomenon, everyone should be glad when you came back at the time you did. As a result of this problematic issue, several hundred youkai were injured, very few were killed." Saiai cleared his throat, letting out a light cough before continuing. "I did notice something when you wielded the Tenseiga, it definitely has magical attributes you'd probably find hindering, though it comes in handy."

"How so?" Sesshoumaru asked. _A sword that can only save lives, what other purpose is it for other than that? What is Saiai trying to explain?_

"You see . . . your sword has the ability to raise the dead, however, I know there are more abilities left untouched. When you created that rift in the earth, it brought everyone back to their senses, the aura you released somehow dissipated whatever was causing the mayhem. Hmmm, I think I shall start back at the beginning, I seemed to have left some things out." Saiai chuckled good naturedly, green bangs swaying with movement as his body moved with the laughter, Sesshoumaru merely watched him, waiting for more explanations to come his way. "I'm not as young as I used to be, I would have been of much better service if I weren't this old, my memory fails me sometimes. As I was saying . . . before the white light came, a indefinable scent filled the air, it was faint, hardly noticeable by youkai with a bad sense of smell. The scent felt foreboding, almost like a warning signal for us, it did rattle up some of our warriors, they were growling sternly. After that, the chaos started." Saiai bowed, signaling that he had finished whatever he had to say.

"So that was what happened. You may be excused, Saiai."

"It's always a pleasure to work with you, my Lord. I bid you have a fair day." Tousling his robes a bit, he turned and walked towards the exit way, golden orbs watched him from behind. _This event was rather disturbing, I hope it does not stir you up too much, Lord Sesshoumaru . . ._

-----

Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were at it again, it seemed the hanyou didn't know when to give up. The Tenseiga clashed against Tetsusaiga, thunder roared through the darkened sky, threatening to call forth rain. Inuyasha bared his teeth before his brother as he struggled to push his blade against Sesshoumaru's, strength was one thing he did not lack, though he wasn't exactly winning their dual. The older dog youkai smirked as he jumped back, dodging a blow from the almighty Tetsusaiga. Inuyasha shouted out curses, trying to coax his brother into fighting back, it frustrated him that their father would write such a will as the one he had done.

_I ask that you spare Inuyasha's life, live together, even if it is not in harmony. Do not kill your own brother, do it for your father's sake._

"Dammit, Sesshoumaru, stop clowning around!" Inuyasha drawled.

"I do not clown around like you. A Demon Lord like me cannot be compared to the likes of a outspoken hanyou. Only heading into battle without any such thought or plan, you remind me of a moronic, reckless, dog." Sesshoumaru dashed into a clearing close by to the Bone Eater's well, Inuyasha followed suit. "You should stop this futile attempt to kill me."

"I never said I couldn't kill you!"

Just as Sesshoumaru jumped back he heard a light streaked arrow full of purifying powers fly in his general direction. _Is it that dead woman? What business would she have to attack me?_ Inuyasha stood where he was and looked in the direction to where the arrow had flown from. He muttered something about Kikyou, it was almost inaudible. Another arrow flew into the clearing, Sesshoumaru once again dodged it. Focusing his aura, he shot an aura blast from his Tenseiga to the spot where the arrow sprung forth. Rustling among the bushes could be heard, Inuyasha tersely ran after the noise, though he did not leave the clearing.

Sesshoumaru now had the back of his legs against the Bone Eater's well, waiting to see what would happen next, his eyes roved around the area. An arrow with purifying quality struck him in the shoulder causing his to fall backward into the well, the pain was overwhelming. He could hear Inuyasha shout his name - a hooded figure ran to the mouth of the well, shooting another arrow down at the youkai. Sesshoumaru sliced it in half, he had been fooled, two more arrows came flying at him, the lone hooded figure was now joined by two more. Another hit him the ribs. The pain was now unbearable, causing Sesshoumaru to black out completely as he sailed to the bottom.

"What the hell is going on?" Inuyasha faced the three hooded beings, two held out taunt bow and arrow, ready to shoot if he were to approach. The third one was silently chanting before the well, a greenish fog surrounded the figure. One step made one of the people to shoot an arrow at him, it lightly grazed him on the leg, immediate pain was identified by the hanyou, it was an unpleasant feeling, even from a small scratch.

_Their arrows are like Kikyou's and Kagome's . . . are they priestesses?_

The hooded figures disappeared when they were finished with their task. Inuyasha walked over to the well to see if his brother was still inside, he was nowhere to be seen. _Shit! Did he go through? What did those hooded bastards do?_

-----

Kagome checked the soles of both her shoes before putting them on, making sure there was no dirt of any kind clinging onto her nicely cleaned shoes. She was decked out with her usual attire, her school uniform. Her big yellow backpack sat by her side, ready to go whenever she was. She let out a sigh, she knew Inuyasha would be mad at her, she hadn't gone to the feudal era for three weeks now, after all, she had school work to deal with since summer vacation was starting soon. As of today, it was officially the first day of her break, she couldn't be any happier.

She made her way to the family shrine, looking this way and that to see if her brother or grandpa was around, no one was in sight. Kagome hefted her backpack with a small jump to adjust the straps to her liking. Opening the shrine doors she entered and closed them behind her. When she looked down the well she saw what she never expected to see.

_Sesshoumaru?_

Kagome placed her backpack down, staring down inside the well for a while, she didn't know what to do. _Why would Sesshoumaru come here? What would happen if I went down there?_ Kagome gulped, shouting out to him. "Sesshoumaru, are you all right? Uh . . . what are you doing in present Japan?" _More overly, how did he make it here? _She waited for an answer, none came. She could only make out the outline of his body, she had no idea whether he was awake or not, kneeling, she rummaged through her overstuffed backpack, looking for a flashlight.

Finding it, she stood back up, flicking it on, frowning though when the batteries gave out. Sighing in resignation, Kagome placed the flashlight back into her yellow backpack, contemplating on what to do. She was afraid to go in the well. _What if he attacks me? After all, he and Inuyasha are enemies . . . Besides, he has tried to kill me before . . ._

Acting out of good hearted nature, Kagome took the risk - she lowered herself into the well, with no light whatsoever. She froze in place beside the youkai, trying to get her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Now she wished that she'd gone in the house to grab another flashlight, because even as her eyes adjusted she still couldn't see very well. Kagome softly yelped when she accidently stepped on the fluffy material that bordered along Sesshoumaru's right shoulder. He did not stir, Kagome continued to squint at him in the dark.

_What should I do?_

The stench of blood hit her nostrils, making her recoil slightly. _Is he bleeding?_ "Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked again, softly. She reached out a hand to feel the hilt of an arrow, her brows creased considerably. _He's injured. _Clamping a hand around the arrow, Kagome could feel a surge of white aura energy burn her fingers, forcing her to let go. _Ow! What the heck was that! _"This is useless, I need light of some kind." Kagome turned her back to the dog youkai, aiming to climb out to get something to help her vision, ignoring the stinging pain she was feeling in her right hand from touching the arrow shaft. The stench of blood was also starting to make her feel nauseous, she needed to get out right away.

Kagome reached out with a hand to get a firm grip on the wall of the well, grimacing when pain shot through her one injured hand, however, she did not let that stop her. She was determined to help Sesshoumaru, besides, it'd freak out her grandpa if he were to spot someone down here in the well. Now that she thought about it, how was she going to explain this to her family? They've all met Inuyasha before, but Sesshoumaru is not like him at all . . .

A happy sigh escaped Kagome's lips when she finally made it out of the well, dusting off her green uniform skirt as she did so. She stretched for a moment to remove any of the cramps and much needed expanding of her tense muscles. _Okay! All I need is a flashlight . . . some rope, a ladder, and I'll be back Sesshoumaru! _The raven haired girl ran to her house to gather what she needed, hoping she didn't have to explain anything too detailed to her mother and brother who were inside.

Kagome stood on tiptoe on a small stool, looking through cabinets and shelves as she hunted for some rope. Spotting some on a shelve in the garage to her far left, she stretched out a bit to grab at it, falling though, when someone startled her, causing her to lose her balance on the stool.

"Waaaauuuhhhhh!" Kagome landed not so softly on her behind, both hands hit the pavement, she winced when pain ran through the injured one, she hid her throbbing hand from view. She turned to see who had scared her, it was her brother Souta. He asked her what she was doing inside the garage. "I was trying to get some rope, you startled me, making me lose my balance. I'm not injured or anything so don't worry."

"Need help?" Souta offered. Kagome puckered her lips together, thinking of the many reactions Souta would perform if he were to see Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha's brother, inside the Bone Eater's well. Kagome nodded, shrugging off any doubts she had. "Okay, what do you want me to do?" She instructed for him to take the rope and flashlight while she hauled along the ladder.

Stopping by the shrine, Kagome turned on her little brother, "now what you are going to see won't be too strange, _it's just like when Inuyasha entered modern Tokyo,_ just don't panic no matter what you witness inside, okay?" Souta asked why. "Erm . . ." _Should I tell him? He's going to find out anyway . . ._ "There's someone inside the well, he's hurt, how bad, I have no idea. But the stench of blood is strong down there, we need to get him out as soon as possible."

"Hold on, who's in the well? Is it one of our neighbors? Shouldn't we get mom and grandpa to help?" Kagome gestured for him to stop, shaking her head. "But . . . then . . . who's in there?"

"It's Sesshoumaru."

"Sesshoumaru? Who's that?"

"He's Inuyasha's older brother . . . just be careful, he's not like him." When Souta asked her if he was going to harm them she simply shook her head, hoping that it wouldn't come to just that. Kagome carried the long ladder inside the shrine, instructing Souta to shine the flashlight inside as she lowered the ladder in. Both Souta and Kagome gasped when they saw the youkai's injured body.

To be continued!

A/N: Saiai was created by me, he is my own OC, there will definitely be more if I continue. How was it, you curious reader who read to the very end? Click that button and send me a review, thankies!


	2. II: Curious Implications

Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to own the characters they all belong to Rumiko Takahashi, not me.

A/N: R+R please! They'll keep me going. XD

I also noticed one small detail, I spelled Tetsusaiga wrong, it's correct in the English version in a sense because of a slip-up in translating. I don't want to change it to Tessaiga since I already started out with Tetsusaiga. Oh well.

A Gap Across Time

II: Curious Implications

_Should I check his wounds here or take him somewhere else? I've learned in health class that sometimes it's best not to move the victim in case one will cause more injuries . . . What should I do?_

Kagome frowned, Sesshoumaru was bleeding profusely while all she was doing was playing as a soliloquist to herself. Souta stood beside her, not knowing what to do either. He asked if they should move him, Kagome shook her head, telling her brother to wait until she thought of something. She knew anything was better than this, they couldn't leave him here while he was bleeding. _I have no choice . . . I must remove the arrows even though they hurt like hell when I touch them, I'm sure they're causing Sesshoumaru more pain though, being lodged in his shoulder and ribcage . . . Okay! Here goes! _"Souta, step back as far as you can. Stand against the well's wall, I'm going to try and pull the arrows out."

"With your bare hands!"

"Yes, we have no other choice, no matter what happens to me - do not help." _Who knows what could happen to him if he were to touch one of these arrows . . . _Preparing herself, Kagome knelt down beside the unconscious taiyoukai, from her lighted vision with the flashlight's help she could see that Sesshoumaru was sweating an awful lot. This alone made her want to pull out the arrows more than ever. Taking deep breaths, Kagome placed her already injured hand back onto the arrow shaft, pain immediately shot through her hand, forcing her to clench her teeth together to fight back a scream. Right now would be the worse of times to scare her brother, if he panicked, she was sure she would too. Pulling with all her strength she made it slide forcefully upward until she released it because of the overwhelming burning sensation the arrow was causing her to feel. _That was close, I didn't get it out though . . ._

"You okay, sis?" Souta asked.

"Yeah."

"That light . . . what was it doing to your hand? I thought I saw smoke coming out or something . . ."

"I'm fine, don't worry. I almost got this arrow out. After this one there is one more left, after that I'll be done. The hard part will be getting him out of the well." Souta sat down in the corner, watching as his sister had another go at the arrow. She gasped when she pulled it out, throwing it on the dirt floor beside her, from Souta's point of view she appeared to be extremely worn out at this point. Kagome was breathing heavily now, actually taking it out took more of her energy than she had anticipated. From her peripheral vision she could seen her brother's concerned face. Her hand was stinging with pain, if she wasn't mistaken - it was badly burned too. She gulped, looking at her other uninjured hand, contemplating if she should purposely hurt this one also . . . Sesshoumaru stirred for a moment, causing chocolate brown eyes to look down at him.

_Okay, here goes the next one . . .! _Deciding against it, Kagome used her injured hand again, refusing to hurt both of them. She had no idea why these arrows were hurting her, she was a miko too, and yet this purifying arrow caused her pain. Souta saw the injury when she sat down beside him, trying to calm her jumbled up nerves.

"Kagome, your hand." He reached out to get a better glance, though Kagome backed away, warning him to not touch it. Her eyes roamed back to the still form of the Demon Lord, his breathing was slightly erratic, almost raspy at most. Despite his injuries he still looked like a majestic creature, like a being that came out of a fantasy story book. "Is he okay now, sis?" Kagome nodded, never moving her gaze from the taiyoukai. Her only worry now was to get Sesshoumaru out of the dark well. _Oh boy . . ._

-----

_Dammit, he really did go through. Who were those mikos that attacked him, if I could even call them that, but there's no mistaking it that they used purifying arrows . . . _"And where the hell is Kagome, she hasn't been here for weeks! That stupid girl, always coming back and forth as she pleases, I ought to go get her." Inuyasha was disappointed when he reached the pit of the well to feel no reaction, no bright light, no nothing to indicate that he was traveling through time. "Shit! They must have sealed off the god damn well! For crying out loud! How am I supposed to find the shards without Kagome! It was her fault it shattered into a million little pieces in the first place, Kagome, get your ass into my time era! And bring Sesshoumaru back if he's with you, I have a score to settle with that bastard!" He knew it was pointless to yell, yet he felt like it, it was good release for his tightly packed anger.

Meanwhile, back in the castle, Jaken, Rin and the others waited patiently for their Master's return. Normally, Sesshoumaru never left his castle often for very long periods of time, though occasionally it did happen so no one was worried as of yet. Still, a child like Rin couldn't help but worry when he was gone, her agitated pacing in the Demon Lord's gigantic study irritated the toad youkai. "Really, Rin, you do not need to pace back and forth in here, pretty soon you'd leave permanent foot marks on the floor!"

"You're just saying that because you don't want me in here. Lord Sesshoumaru doesn't mind that I hang out in here when he's gone, he even said so himself, remember?" Jaken muttered to himself, saying that Rin made that up to allow her to stay in here. Rin didn't want to leave this lonely room, it carried the scent of her Lord everywhere since he was in here most of the time for most of the day. She stared at the parchments that were laid out on his desk, curiously reading some of the words on one of them.

"Rin, stop that! You mustn't read Lord Sesshoumaru's materials, he'd behead any youkai for trespassing into his privacy!" Jaken scurried to her side, pushing her away from the large desk centered in the room. His yellow beady toad eyes couldn't help but roam the parchments himself when he gazed towards the desk, the word 'death' caught his eye, causing him to gasp. Rin turned to him, asking him what was the matter. Shushing her, he towed her along towards the huge oak doors, emblazoned with the family crest, which was that of the cherry blossom. _I didn't mean to pry my Lord, however what could the parchments on your desk be holding? What does the word death have to do with anything here? Is someone to be sentenced for some reason . . .? Yes, that must be it . . . that has to be it!_ Jaken found that his beguile thoughts weren't going to help him sleep fitfully tonight.

In the quiet of the night, Rin snuck out of bed to check her Lord's room in case he came back. To her dismay, his bed was not occupied, she felt like climbing into his covers to sleep, however she knew that was against the rules, even Sesshoumaru didn't allow her to do that. _Lord Sesshoumaru, where can you be? You do go away for days at a time sometimes but this time . . . I feel as if you're not going to come back for a while . . . I just want you to return now! _Rin hadn't realized that she started to cry until her warm tears fell on her cold feet. Rubbing at them furiously, she willed herself to be strong - Sesshoumaru had always told her that crying solved nothing.

Saiai, who had been roaming the castle all night spotted the open door to Sesshoumaru's bedroom, curious as to who opened it he went to take a peek. There, standing beside the bed was Rin, her back was to him so she didn't see him. Small, quiet sobs came from the child, causing her to hunch her shoulders to match the jerking motions her chest was making her do, as her voice rung out with sorrow. His red orbs filled up with woeful sheen, one eye seen while the other was hidden beneath his green bangs. He stood there watching her, it was as if he was a statue, unmoving and rigid, yet beautiful. He made no attempt to stop the raven haired child when she climbed atop his Lord's bed, she curled up in a ball in the center, quietly singing to herself. It was sad to see emotional turmoil thwart this girl, she was always happy, having a sunny smile on her face almost all the time. He'd rarely seen Rin get extremely angry let alone violent, she was a peaceful person.

Knowing he'd feel regretful in the morning for allowing the child to sleep there he went into the room. She opened her closed eyes immediately, alert as a hawk, thinking the Lord of the castle had returned. She looked frightened when she saw Saiai, he stood as tall as a seven foot tree. The red robes he wore enhanced the effect of the youkai looking much bigger than he actually was. Smiling down at her, he said, "you shouldn't sleep here, you know you will get in trouble in the morning. How about I escort you back to your own sleeping quarter, Rin." She nodded. "That's a good girl."

Guards who were posted around the area glanced at the duo who walked by them, one, being the human child Sesshoumaru supposedly cared for, and the other being his most trusted counselor. Rin was hesitant to enter her own room when she approached it, worry marred her pretty features. Life without Sesshoumaru was all she could think about, it wasn't that she doubted his strength, above all else she knew there were stronger youkai than her Lord. She wasn't ignorant to the truth of the world. Upon Saiai's urgings she climbed into bed, apologizing to the counselor for making him a temporary babysitter. Laughing, he said he didn't mind. That night Rin had a hard time falling asleep, she fit to match Jaken's own tension.

-----

Kagome and Souta both sighed in relief when they managed to get the Demon Lord out of the well, it was one amazing feat. Even Kagome couldn't believe they pulled it off with merely rope and a ladder, and the help of a flashlight as their only source of light. Sesshoumaru laid before them, bloodied and dirty. Bright sunlight from atop the tree's leaves filtered through them to blanche splotches here and there among the three beings beneath its enormous branches. Kagome leaned against the ancient tree's bark, trying to catch her breath. Her hand was stinging so unmercifully that she could feel tears threaten to trail down her cheeks. At this point she figured it'd take weeks before her hand could heal completely, it didn't bother her too much as long as she knew she did something right. In this instance it was saving Sesshoumaru's life.

"Now what are we going to do?" Souta asked. His eyes never left the taiyoukai's form, his gaze was transfixed to the rising and falling of his chest. His small hands dug into the grass down into the soft earth; he couldn't help but feel uncomfortably appalled. Although he didn't know much about Inuyasha's brother he knew for a fact that he wasn't someone you'd want to mess with. Inarguably, Kagome emitted a sort of fear he could sense without really trying to read her, he silently prayed this fear would pass.

"I'm not sure. I don't think we can hide him from mom and grandpa, in fact I don't see why we should. However, Sesshoumaru has never been very social, I can imagine grandpa yapping away without noticing that this fellow here was growling at him." Souta couldn't help not laughing, it wasn't supposed to be funny, yet he couldn't control the emotions he was feeling. "You about ready to drag him again?" Souta nodded. "Oh! Before we do that we should cover him up in something incase our neighbors see him. If we aren't careful people might think we're dragging around a blood-splattered corpse."

"Good idea."

The only thing the Higurashi siblings could find was a ugly, old tarp their grandpa kept in his backyard. It didn't smell all too good so Kagome and Souta were careful with how they handled it around themselves. Their only concern was for Sesshoumaru, he'd reek of the tarp's stench if they were to cover him in it. As for their trek into the house it was a lot harder than they expected it to be. Their grandpa along with the family cat Buyo stepped out the front door just as they arrived in front of it. Startled, Kagome rushed to the front of the taiyoukai, supporting him in an odd position as she tried to hide him from her grandpa. Buyo stared up at her curiously, large blue eyes unblinking.

"What have you two got there?" their grandpa asked. He made a motion to lift the tarp.

Kagome backed up a step. "Grandpa, don't touch it! It's a project I've been working on. I know it looks kind of big, but it's not a problem. As you can see, Souta is helping me carry it into my room, we've got everything under control . . ." Kagome stopped right there and then, if she kept on talking their grandpa would definitely suspect she was lying to him. Buyo continued to stare up at her, those glassy blue eyes of his sometimes gave her the creeps in certain situations. Now was one of those situations. "Ehehehe, can you move so we can haul it upstairs?"

"If I'm not mistaken that is my tarp from the shrine, no?"

_Come on, grandpa, stop asking us questions! _

He inspected it more closely, eyes squinting into small slits. "It is my tarp, ah, how I miss its smell!" Kagome and Souta sweat dropped, they couldn't see how he'd stand a smell as rancid as this pathetic excuse of a well kept tarp. A wrinkled hand rubbed the material before either Kagome or Souta could react. Buyo let out a lazy meow, gently rubbing his head against Kagome's stiff leg. She looked down at him for a moment as she bit her lower lip nervously. A unmistakable feeling started to rise up her chest to her throat . . . If she and her brother didn't act now their grandpa was going to find out any second now.

_Think, Kagome, think! It'd only complicate matters if he were to find out right now! _

"Yeah, it is your tarp, I'm really in a rush so excuse us!" Their grandpa grunted in dismay when Kagome and Souta pushed past him, he watcher their retreating figures walk along the hallway before disappearing to the side as they turned to go up the stairs.

"That was close, Kagome, grandpa almost found out," Souta huffed, wiping sweat off his damp forehead. Kagome merely smiled stupidly, she sat down on her bedroom floor. Souta followed her example. They both looked at the taiyoukai inside the tarp, Kagome frowned, if she didn't get rid of the tarp soon it'd stink up her whole room. She stood up, telling her brother that she was going to dispose of the disgusting tarp while he watched over Sesshoumaru. "Okay, sis, that isn't a problem."

Souta concentrated his stare on Sesshoumaru, he watched closely to see if he was going to open his eyes. A small tentative hand went to his face only to back away when golden yellow orbs glared at him. Sesshoumaru had awoken at last. He tried to move only to find that he couldn't even lift a hand, he was disconcerted with everything. _This isn't my palace . . . where am I then? _His eyes never left the boy sitting on the floor, he was trembling as he stared back at him. It wasn't hard for the taiyoukai to guess where he really was, he was in Kagome's home . . . There was no mistaking the child before him, he resembled Kagome an awful lot.

"Souta, I'm-" Kagome cut herself off short upon the sight of Sesshoumaru's yellow orbs relocating themselves onto her. "Um . . . I see you've waken up, how are you feeling . . .?" She hesitated at the doorway for a moment, suggesting what the best plan of action was going to be. Souta looked to her, gulping as he did so. She could tell that he was really afraid - she was too. With a nod of her head she signaled for her brother to leave the room, he gladly obliged, head lowered as he walked past her, closing her bedroom door behind him. _Okay, I'll start over . . . _"How are you feeling, Sesshoumaru?"

"Tell me, why am I in your home?" he asked suspiciously.

"Erm, how should I explain this . . . I should say I found you in the well . . . Only you were on this end instead of the other side. You had arrows piercing your body, you should be glad I took them out." Feeling self-conscious at this point Kagome hid her injured hand behind her back. _This won't do . . . All he is doing is staring at me, isn't he going to say something? I'd really like to know how he had those arrows stuck to him in the first place! Aaaauuuuu . . . _Sesshoumaru gave her a nondescript expression, clearly showing her that he didn't care for her aid; it wasn't like he asked for human assistance. Kagome blew out a puff of air, the awkward silence that suddenly filled the room was not to her liking . . . To her, silence was a bad thing . . . "So . . ."

"What is it?"

"Um . . . Your clothes are all dirty" . . . _more like bloody and the tarp's smell, I'm sure he can smell it too . . . _"mind if I take them off? I'm pretty sure you don't like wearing dirty items." Sesshoumaru grunted, Kagome looked bedazzled - she didn't know how to take that response of his. "Ehehehe, was that a yes or a no?" Sesshoumaru remained silent, his golden orbs ever so slowly moving with her every movement; he watched her like a hawk ready to swoop on its prey. "Um . . ."

"Indeed . . ." Sesshoumaru finally spoke up, ". . . I do not like dirty clothing, however I do not wish for you to remove them." Kagome sweat dropped, she wondered why Sesshoumaru was acting so uptight around her when she was only trying to help. _Why is it that this girl who travels with my brother want to help me? If I recall I did try to slay her once, isn't she afraid that I might try that stunt on her again?_ Sesshoumaru once again tried to lift an arm, the only thing he accomplished in doing was wiggle the fingers of his right hand. Kagome didn't let it go unnoticed. She walked slowly towards him, well aware of the danger she was putting herself in even though the taiyoukai could barely move. She'd learned from past experiences in the feudal era that some people's actions were very misleading. _Is she not worried for her own life . . .? I can easily kill her if I truly had the desire to do so, my restricted movements wouldn't stop me . . . _

"Let me help you, I can understand why you wouldn't want my help, but we're not in the feudal era so no youkai is going to know about this!" Kagome tested Sesshoumaru's tolerance; she purposely placed a hand on his haori's sleeve. A yelp escaped her lips before she knew what was happening . . .

To be continued!


	3. III: What Happened?

Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to own the characters they all belong to Rumiko Takahashi, not me.

A/N: Here is the next chapter, folks. Please do review! I love getting feedback, bad or good!

And here's a :WARNING: to heed, I suppose OOCness will be present sometime in the future chappies. By golly gosh, I find it hard to keep Sesshoumaru as prim and proper as he is now. Expect changes from **him** the most . . . I suppose.

A Gap Across Time

III: What Happened?

Kagome breathed in and out heavily, eyes squinted shut for that brief moment that she was miraculously nailed down by Sesshoumaru's pale hand. His gaze upon her was none too approving of what she had tried to do. Trepidation crept up on her, making her shiver unconditionally. She was amazed that he could move at all! Chocolate brown eyes finally willed themselves open to look when the girl sensed nothing was happening. In fact, the grip on her slender wrist was becoming slack; she could feel Sesshoumaru's nails dig lightly into her skin as he tried to maintain his menacing pose.

In a low tone of warning, he hissed, "I already told you once, I do not wish for you to undress me." Kagome's eyes widened considerably, a light smile almost caressed her beautiful lips. Much was not expected from this taiyoukai, and yet, Kagome, for the first time saw him flush a light crimson. Sesshoumaru noticed her astounded stare immediately, he had the mind to rip her throat out right there and then; if only it were possible for him he'd gladly do it.

"You're blushing, Sesshoumaru," Kagome breathed out. Her fear of him left her as quickly as it had come. _Sesshoumaru can't be too much of a heartless bastard like Inuyasha states all the time, can he be? _She could see annoyance creep into the other being's face, this time Kagome couldn't hold back her grin. "I've never seen you blush before! And here I thought you were really a heartless bastard! Way to go, Kagome, this is what you get for listening to Inuyasha all the time!"

Sesshoumaru's hand fell limp against the soft bed; his energy had been depleted much to his surprise. His ears wanted to tune out the sound of Kagome's voice, though he found that he couldn't do so, tried as he might; nothing was working. It was also a deft blow to his pride to let a human such as Kagome see him blush, he never recalled ever blushing once in his life inside the realm of his silent empire. Neither Jaken nor Rin had ever seen such a disfigurement of his face; he would never let them or any other, as a matter of fact, for as long as he lived see him in such a state.

_Why am I blushing before Inuyasha's woman then?_

Kagome's giddy side disappeared when Sesshoumaru's appearance became that of a frown. He looked none too happy to be caught. _Uh . . . Maybe I should apologize or something . . . I guess this won't work out well with his subjects . . . _"I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru, I didn't mean to react like that. I've heard a great deal about your kingdom from Inuyasha, he didn't say very nice things about it but I loved to go visit it sometime . . . If you don't mind?" _Gah! Way to ruin your rep, Kagome! Sesshoumaru must think I'm a little snoop now! _ "And about this little incident, I'll forget it ever happened."

"So be it," Sesshoumaru replied gruffly. He managed to rid himself of the insidious blush that overtook him just moments ago. Cursing to himself, Sesshoumaru realized that he was starting to feel light-headed, the foul stench on his clothing was driving his poor senses mad. He wanted nothing more than a fresh change of clothes, however, he didn't want to accept any from the human girl before him.

Kagome noticed the taiyoukai distress, she pursed her lips, wondering what she was going to do with him. _If he won't accept my offer of help how is he going to get better? Besides, he's stuck here whether he likes it or not, for the time being anyway. Still, I find it odd that he made it through the Bone Eater's well . . . _Kagome nearly keeled over when Sesshoumaru unexpectedly passed out. Panicking, Kagome tried to wake him up, not caring that she was roughly shaking him. Small, thin hands clutched at his haori's sleeves as they tugged at them with quite a bit of force.

"Sesshoumaru, wake up! Please, don't die on me!"

-----

"Jaken, is Lord Sesshoumaru back yet?" Rin asked.

"Apparently no. Where could he have gone anyway?" Jaken delved the tip of his staff so hard onto the marbled floor that it resonated a sound across the expansive room. He already had enough to worry about, and here was Rin standing beside him, pestering him. The little glimpse of words he read on the parchment in his Lord's study unnerved him, no matter how many thoughts came to mind, they never satisfied his need to know the truth. However, loyalty to his Lord was Jaken's first priority over anything, so he wasn't going to read the parchment without permission even if it killed him from not doing so. Beady yellow eyes turned to gaze at Rin then. Jaken saw that Rin was now sulking in a corner of the room, nonchalantly staring at the floor. Her usually perky attitude completely disappeared, replaced with something that was rather foreign to the girl. It's been a long while since Jaken had seen her moping around for days on end though he couldn't blame her.

_Sesshoumaru has been missing now for quite some time . . ._

Back in the counselors meeting room, Saiai gathered all the other members to discuss this little disturbance that erupted across the castle. Word be known, almost every youkai, no matter their rank had their own suspicions and stories to tell of what really happened to their Lord, word had spread fast of Sesshoumaru's oddly prolonged absence.

Sitting around a round table were the many respected counselors of their trade, several were from the same branch since it was hard for one to handle the situated area alone. Saiai, being the most important of them all started the discussion.

"As you can see, we are all gathered here to hereby discuss the problematic issue that has risen. Our Lord has not returned to the castle for approximately two weeks now, it seems to have caused an alarm statement among colleagues in our ranks. Being the head of each department we should all be well aware that we each have some privileges that Lord Sesshoumaru has given us. I believe now is the time to put them to good use."

A somewhat short, lanky young looking youkai stood up to the declaration. His blue colored, bushy eyebrows moved about as if it were alive when he arched them animatedly. Bright, vibrant opal colored orbs shone with the justice to speak with clear precision. However striking looking his eyes were, they were no match for the beauty of his face; his chiseled jaw line was smooth and firm, his mouth was thin and strong, his nose was high and curved. Much was to be said about a youkai such as this one. Between each persona, this handsome youkai was known as the counselor for the northern tower that overlooked the land to the north. This was the direction Sesshoumaru took when he last left so he had a say in this.

"It has indeed been quite some time since Lord Sesshoumaru has been gone, moreover, it's such a big problem that if he doesn't return soon the castle may be thrown into chaos. Not to mention that that bright light that overtook everyone by surprise so many days ago also came from the direction of the northern hemisphere. At the time, the youkai undergoing their duty said they didn't detect such an aura approaching us. Isn't it strange that our Lord would vanish shortly afterwards?"

Everyone around the table talked to each other in murmured voices. Saiai gave the counselor of the northern tower a critical look, if the counselor had been paying attention he'd probably be perturbed by the sudden look of skepticism.

"Aizuna is right, it's rather peculiar that our Lord would disappear after the incident. Perhaps this is planned by some unknown force we have yet to give notice to." The youkai that spoke this time was even younger looking than Aizuna. His long tousled white mane that ran along the top of his head beautifully lined itself across to the nape of his neck. Parts lacking the long strands contained short, wispy specks of short hair. He was dressed fashionably with a ruffled white collar that ran along the length of his neck. From chest to waist down the youkai had worn preferably cotton made materials with the intricate designs of a icy blue chrysanthemum marring the fabric's pale surface. Fully clothed in snow colored items, one was sure to pertain him to a magical creature from the heavens. Aside from this, he was the only horse youkai to be found inside the castle since they were such a rare breed. As story be told, humans from centuries ago used to hunt youkai such as this one due to the valuable hair atop its head. Horse youkai were gentle by nature so humans took them down easily.

"You're as prominent as ever to support Aizuna, Katari," another counselor spoke in a sweet, rich voice. Soft, silk material brushed against dark colored skin charred to perfection much like hardened mother earth out on compact floors. Veiled underneath a large, purple shawl was the almighty sparrow youkai, her pointed fingers dug into the cloth of her creamy corn colored robes. Sharp, brown eyes surveyed the room with quick speed; always watching out for any signs of distractions and ill manners. Astonished milk tinted orbs stared back at the youkai that spoke. Katari knew he had a fixation with Aizuna, but he knew better than to let that get in the way of being a good counselor. "Listen everyone, we're just talking about the problem, we need solutions now, no?" Several heads nodded in agreement. "Then commence."

"As of late, Tsume, several counselors and I have thought things over, though we can't think of a single thing that would bring Lord Sesshoumaru back. We don't even know where he's located at the moment." Saiai interceded, letting Katari off the hook. "If you have any ideas feel free to share."

"I certainly will when I think of some," she replied.

"That's fine by me," Saiai unnecessarily added.

-----

"Geez, what the hell am I supposed to tell the others, they're pretty sure that Kagome should be back by now. Wait till Shippou hears of this, he's never going to leave me alone, that stupid brat," Inuyasha muttered to himself as he walked back to the camp his friends were located at for the night.

All heads turned to the hanyou when he appeared through a clearing from behind a clump of clustered shrubs. Shippou looked at him expectantly, his small green eyes were filled with anticipation; Inuyasha knew who he was waiting for to appear behind him: Kagome. Inuyasha almost wanted to laugh in the child youkai's face, but he couldn't pluck out the mood to no matter how he looked at it. In retrospect, he knew he was going to miss Kagome too. _Her absence is going to hurt Shippou quite a bit, it can't be helped I suppose. Besides, that runt should learn to be more independent! _As expected, Shippou sprung into action, hammering Inuyasha with questions. _This is getting really old . . ._

"How come Kagome isn't here, Inuyasha?" Shippou asked worriedly. "I thought you went to go get her? You must have left her behind somewhere, didn't you? You better go bring her here before she gets hurt."

"Shippou, just shut up!" Taken aback by the hanyou's aggressive comment, the fox youkai cowered slightly in fear. Hands coming up to cover his head incase the half-demon wanted to hit him soundly on the head. Nothing happened though, Inuyasha was merely standing there looking almost helpless for the first time in a long while. Shippou squinted up at Inuyasha, a look of anger was clearly marred on his face. "Kagome . . . isn't here, Shippou. All I can say is I don't know when she's coming back. And don't count on it being anytime soon, you hear?"

"Why's that, Inuyasha?" Sango asked, curious to know where Inuyasha was leading this. Even she could sense Inuyasha's distress, however, she didn't know what to do or say to make the rigid iciness in Inuyasha's stare go away. _What does he mean Kagome isn't returning here anytime soon? Does she have something urgent to do in her time period? _Letting out a small puff of air Sango stood up to walk towards the hanyou. "Did something happen between you and Kagome?"

"That's not it."

Sango frowned, Inuyasha's tone of voice was not to her liking. Something had happened, whether it was between him and Kagome or not. _What is he hiding from us? _

"That look on your face doesn't suit you, you know?" Inuyasha immediately caught himself, he sprung into action to correct his expression. Sango would've laughed at him if the atmosphere around them wasn't so thick with anger; it was hardly a minor matter at this point. Even little Shippou had his hands on his hips, preparing himself to give Inuyasha a very annoying scolding he'd probably heard millions of times before. "If it wouldn't bother you too much, mind telling us why Kagome isn't going to be here for a while?"

"The well is sealed off . . . Happy now?" Inuyasha sat down where he stood, briefly crossing his arms over one another as he stared at his companion's reactions. Out of the three, Shippou seemed to be the most surprised. Inuyasha paid careful attention to the runt. "Before you start yelling your head off, Shippou, you should let me explain, it's not like I haven't heard enough of your irritating voice for one day." Shippou opened his mouth to reprimand that statement but he clamped it shut when Sango gave him a stern glare. The little fox youkai bowed his head, being remotely quiet for once. "I'll give you all the short version . . . Sesshoumaru and I were by the Bone Eaters well dueling it out against one another, it was at this point that someone shot arrows at Sesshoumaru. As it so happened he fell inside the well and some hooded figures sealed it off. I couldn't even get through to the other side."

"So that means Sesshoumaru is trapped in Kagome's timeframe," Miroku commented. "What good could become of that?"

"Exactly! I swear if I ever get my hands on him again I'll make sure he's dead and buried!" Inuyasha shouted. Miroku and the others sweat dropped, Inuyasha was taking things too literally. "It just makes me mad to know that he's over at Kagome's time, he's probably causing chaos to everyone right now."

"That sounds a little more like you," Shippou slyly tweaked.

"What was that?" Inuyasha reeled on the little youkai, almost knocking him over with the proximity of his face to Shippou's body. "You better not be saying anything funny."

"I wasn't!" Shippou made sure to back up a step or two incase Inuyasha decided to do him in. Kirara watched the youngster with curious red eyes. "And you should calm down, Inuyasha, getting mad at everyone and everything isn't going to change anything."

"Keh."

"He's right, you know," Sango sided. "I suppose none of us are happy about something like this, but at the current moment you can see there's nothing we can do about it. Let's think things over, having a plan is better than charging on in blindly." Sango gestured towards Miroku, wanting him to speak his mind as well. He shrugged and shook his head. Sango sighed. "Anyways, let's get some sleep."

"You all can sleep, I'll stay up and watch out for those bastards. They might show up and try to kill us."

"Suit yourself," Sango replied, obviously not taking the hanyou seriously.

Daybreak was evident when the sun broke through the hilltops to bring forth light to mother nature. Kirara was the first to wake among the others, she automatically looked towards Inuyasha. He was perched on a tree by their camp still wide awake except his eyes had dark circles underneath them, Kirara meowed and Inuyasha turned his head to look at her. She stood up on all fours, tail wagging slowly as she continued to stare up at him. The hanyou turned back towards the other direction, watching the sun as it rose from it's perch upon the hills to float upward into the sky.

_Kagome, I hope you're all right._

-----

Saiai sat down to rest his tired old bones, he may not look old but he definitely was old indeed. His youth had long been drained from him during the time of Sesshoumaru's father's reign over the kingdom, at that time he was at the peak of his youth. Alas, it annoyed him to no end to realize that he had grown old mentally, not physically. He closed his eyes, letting the sounds of the early birds soothe him, making him feel relaxed. As a tree youkai, he liked it best when nature was starting anew, almost like a lone plant trying to find it's way to the surface from below the ground. However, his much needed rest was interrupted when Aizuna strolled into his chambers without so much as knocking on the door first.

"Mind you knock next time, Aizuna," Saiai chided.

"Sorry for barging in but there's been an uprising among the ranks between the soldiers." Saiai arched an eyebrow at the other youkai. "Apparently no one is able to stop the dispute, not even the Minister of warfare. He asked me to come here to get you to help him if you don't mind."

"I'm surprised he would turn to someone like me, surely the counselors in that area of knowledge should be able to give him advice, even help him reprimand the soldiers if he wanted them to." Aizuna bowed his head, bright blue hair falling around his young looking face. "I guess I have no choice then."

_What in the heavens could cause such commotions? Is it because of our Lord's absence?_

Like Aizuna described all the soldiers of varying ranks were chattering amongst one another, some in loud voices while others in hushed tones. All heads turned towards the newcomer when the huge cedar doors opened, causing them to let out a loud, long creak to the hinges. Red eyes surveyed the area, it was almost as if the counselor was counting heads to see how many were present. The Minister of warfare gave him a grateful smile, silently beckoning him to enter the enormous dojo; Saiai did not hesitate to permit entry for himself. As a sign of respect, all the soldiers got on their hands and knees as they greeted the counselor.

"Well now, what seems to be the problem? Care to explain, anyone?" Saiai asked. He found it odd that he could command such obedience from all the youkai; it went to show how much of an influence he was to everyone. He wasn't even a counselor for this department either. A tall looking youkai rose from among the rest to speak. His short stubby orange hair did little to cover the battle wounds he had marring the sides of his head. His eyes were a steely gray, full of hard earned experience as a soldier, if Saiai wasn't mistaken, he was ranked fairly high in the charts.

"We've all heard that our Lord has gone missing. Nothing has been said about the incident that happened only several weeks ago, even more strange happenings have taken place since then. We all feel that we have a right to know what's exactly going on. Some say Lord Sesshoumaru has been killed, while others say he's been captured and held hostage somewhere, even brutally wounded if not dead."

Saiai inwardly chuckled. _Ah, these soldiers do stick to their trade very well, they even think the way they fight! _ "Now, now, everyone, a commotion does not need to happen to get an answer from us counselors, as I speak, we're all trying our best to bring our Lord back. Before anyone goes spreading idiotic rumors, I, Saiai, have held a small meeting not too long ago with some of our other counselors, strategies were discussed and made. We've decided that in the meantime until our Lord returns, Inuyasha, his younger brother, shall govern over us for now." Murmurs broke out among the crowd of listeners. "I want to hear no objections, if we want to keep this kingdom up and running this must be done."

The youkai that had spoken earlier said, "we understand, Saiai, thank you for informing us. I'll make sure not to let another uproar happen." Saiai smiled and slightly bowed before turning around to leave the dojo, Aizuna followed closely behind him.

Once out of hearing range from anyone, Aizuna asked, "was it wise to say such a thing as that?" His green eyes were filled with uncertainty. "Surely Inuyasha wouldn't want to watch over his brother's kingdom for him."

"We'll think of something. Just wait."

To be continued!


	4. IV: Assistance

Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to own the characters they all belong to Takahashi Rumiko, not me.

A/N: Saiai, Aizuna, Tsume, Katari, and Surin are all my own OCs. More may be on the way . . . If the transitions between Kagome and the others are different don't be alarmed, their time periods are different so it doesn't have to be the same time of day on each side. If I recall correctly, Kagome's time is much slower than the feudal era. With my blabbering done, please continue and leave me a review at the end, hm?

And yeah, updates aren't often so please be patient everyone!

A Gap Across Time

IV: Assistance

Rin sat down in a corner as usual to simply look out over at the expansive forest before her behind a wall of glass. She was hoping that she'd see the form of her Lord walking through the brambles and entering his kingdom once more to restore everything to the way it should be. She willed herself to look the other direction, it was as if time had stood still for her . . . _Why can't I move forward without you, Lord Sesshoumaru? _Suffice to say, in her heart she was hurting so much that she didn't know when the pain would stop.

"Rin, my child, you've been sitting there moping all morning . . . Why not come join me and the others for lunch?" A big, soft hand gently patted her shoulder. Rin shook her head. "Oh? Are you not hungry?"

"No, I want to stay here longer, Surin. It's okay, I'll be fine." Making sure to back that up the raven haired child turned her head around to display to her caretaker a huge grin to signify that she was all right.

_Oh, Rin, must you be so lost and hopeless without him? Is he your only reason to exist now? It shouldn't be that way . . . _

"If you insist. If you ever get hungry make sure to come down to the kitchen, I'll tell the chefs to make you something delicious!" Rin let out a little laugh. Her struggled efforts to look happy was quickly diminishing each second, Surin could tell immediately. "Well then, I'll see you later."

"Okay."

-----

Out of the all the things that could have happened Sesshoumaru managed to faint not too willingly on her bed. Kagome scratched at her head in a frustrated manner: _either I undress him or leave him the way he is. He'd definitely be mad if I did remove his clothing, however I'm sure he'd be relieved from the horrible smell of the tarp. If I can smell it he must have it worst! _Decision made at last Kagome decided to remove his clothing. After all, she had enough of seeing blood splotching her bed sheet and blankets . . .

_Heh, wonder how I'm going to get the stains off . . .?_

A loud raspy sound came out of the taiyoukai's mouth then, startling the girl with much unneeded fright. Kagome sweat dropped as she stared at Sesshoumaru; for an instant she was sure he was going to open his eyes though he didn't. A deep frown was clearly seen on his face, silvery brows arched downward in an angry v-shape. Kagome puckered her lips, she wondered why Sesshoumaru was looking so angry even as he slept. A creaking sound reached the girl's ears when her bedroom door opened, Kagome turned around to see who the newcomer was: Souta. In his hand was a towel and basin full of luke warm water.

"I thought you might want to clean him up a little so I brought you this," he told her. Kagome appreciatively took the condiments from him, smiling as she did so. Souta scratched the back of his head, unsure of what to do or say at this point. "Um . . . You need help with anything?" He glanced over at the taiyoukai's sleeping form, checking to see if he was awake or asleep. The words escaped from his lips before he really thought about it. "He's awfully bloody. Why not treat his wounds and give him something else to wear?"

Kagome sweat dropped. "I was getting to doing that." A bright flush of color crossed her cheeks, making her stare meekly down at the floor; Souta noticed her nervousness immediately. "However, it'd be nice if you'll help me with that."

"Sure I will. So how did you want to do this?" he asked.

_Err . . . Should Souta undress him himself or should I assist him? What if . . . Sesshoumaru wakes up? There's no telling what he'd do to my little brother if he saw him undressing him! Decisions . . . Why me! _"Would you mind undressing him? As you can see . . ." Kagome trailed off, eyes averted once more to the carpet.

"Okay, I got it. But I'll need you to treat his wounds since I don't know much about handling injuries this large, or we can get mom to help. Would that be okay?" Souta looked to the door for a brief second. From experience he could tell that Kagome was fidgeting around with her fingers; it was a common habit of hers when she was being indecisive. "Well, I guess I better get to work."

"R-right!" Kagome quickly walked to the entrance to her room, awkwardly avoiding hitting a stack of books as she rushed towards her destination. "I'll be waiting outside, if you need anything just call for me!"

_Sis, you can be such an airhead sometimes._

Focusing on the task at hand Souta was very careful with what he was doing when he leaned towards the bigger creature, eyes keenly keeping themselves trained on Sesshoumaru's face; the magenta colored crescent moon shape fascinated the boy every time he looked at it. With one hand he reached for the large hulk of armor that was covering his gi's front: finding the latch that held it together was a lot harder than he had thought. A soft clicking sound could be heard once he located the bothersome thing. Using both hands this time Souta carefully tugged at the armor, making sure that the taiyoukai's left arm was securely out of the way to avoid getting injured further. With the armored plate out of the way the boy could see more clearly of what Sesshoumaru's wounds appeared to be like; he couldn't help cringing at the gruesome sight. The fluffy white material hanging around his other shoulder was clearly soaked through with blood. Souta couldn't help wondering if it was his tail or a decoration.

"Souta, are you doing okay in there?" Kagome called out from the hallway.

"Yeah!"

Just as Souta shifted Sesshoumaru's gi partly open a spasm grasped the taiyoukai's body, forcing Souta back with a surprised yelp. Like a marathon runner Kagome was up and ready, coming to aide her brother incase he was injured. To her horrified surprise Sesshoumaru was convulsing so violently she didn't know what to do other than stand there and watch in an appalled manner. A urgent tug to her shirt's sleeve on her left helped her to regain her composure.

With frightened eyes, Souta cried, "I didn't do anything, I swear! He-he suddenly started to shake like that!"

"Calm down Souta!" Kagome answered back. _Oh god! What is happening to you! _"Get mom in here quickly!" _I . . . I don't know what to do . . . I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru. _Afraid for the Demon Lord's life Kagome wearily watched him, silent warm tears trickling down either side of her cheeks. Reaching out her uninjured hand Kagome clasped it into one of Sesshoumaru's own. _Hang in there!_

-----

"Inuyasha, let's get going now, I'm sure you're anxious to find Kagome but staying here isn't going to do us any good," Miroku told the agitated hanyou. He watched as Inuyasha sniffed the ground beside the Bone Eater's well, clearly standing a good hair's length away from it due to the strong aura that was emitted from its entrance hole; Miroku could sense its immense power. "Sango and Shippou have already gone to Kaede's village to seek answers, aren't you curious to what she has to say about this?"

"Keh, I doubt she'd know anything about it!" Inuyasha spat, nose never leaving the mossy grass before him. "I can't be sure but the three figures that attacked Sesshoumaru definitely looked like priestesses to me."

"Did you see their faces?"

"No, they were wearing hoods and robes." Annoyed, Inuyasha sat down on his bottom right where he was sniffing, his arms were also crossed as well. "I couldn't even get near them, their arrows were full of spiritual energy . . . Much like Kagome's. Whatever reason they had to attack my brother I sure as hell do not care, however sealing up the well and preventing access to and fro is not something I can ignore. My blood is still boiling at the fact that Sesshoumaru is over there!" Miroku sweat dropped, opening his mouth to say something. Inuyasha turned on him. "And you, Miroku, not a word out of you! I've heard enough of your 'what if's' and 'calm down' phrases, they're only making me angrier."

"Ehehe, I see . . ." _All I was doing was trying to help you, idiot._

"Inuyasha, is that you?" someone called from yonder. Both the monk and hanyou turned to see who the newcomer was. A youkai with bright grass colored hair and fiery red eyes was the first thing to strike the other two as interesting to look at. His tall figure loomed over them when he approached, followed by a youkai much smaller than him. This youkai in peculiar had blue colored hair and emerald green orbs that sparkled with uncertainty. "Ah, it is you."

"Heh, Saiai and Aizuna, what the hell do you two want from me?" Inuyasha asked. "This must be important if you didn't send your lackeys instead."

"Precisely," Saiai smiled, undeterred by the hanyou's angry glaring. "As you can well tell, Lord Sesshoumaru has been missing for several weeks now. By any chance do you know what could have become of him?" Inuyasha shook his head. "Ahem, getting to the point now, the reason Aizuna and I are here is to ask that you watch over your older brother's kingdom for him, pray till he comes-"

"Are you out of your fucking mind!" Inuyasha cried, obviously really angry with the tree youkai. "I'd never do no such favor as that for that bastard! His kingdom can rot in hell, let everything fall to pieces! See if I care!"

"Very harsh words coming from Lord Sesshoumaru's own kin, flesh and blood." Inuyasha growled, standing up to his full height as he did so. Miroku inched closer to him, trying to keep him at a hand's length away lest he tried to attack the other youkai. "I'm sure you're well aware that you're the heir to the throne if your brother was to ever fall for whatever reason. You can call this temporary substitution if you will, at best to say until we find the whereabouts of our Lord."

"Inuyasha, please," Aizuna begged. "Inutaisho wouldn't be happy about this if he were alive today to watch his own kingdom he worked so hard in building crumble before his very eyes. Do this for your father's sake if not for your brother's." Aizuna starkly walked forward, not wanting to hide behind Saiai's huge form any longer. Inuyasha eyed him critically as Aizuna looked at him with hopeful eyes, hands clasped together in a desperate attempt to stop himself from erupting with panicked emotion. "Please, Inuyasha."

"Give me one more good reason why I should be doing this," Inuyasha demanded, clearly not satisfied with what he previously heard. "My father's kingdom isn't that important to me, in fact I don't care what he thinks of me for turning my back on his so called fortress of a shabby castle."

"Enough with the rude remarks, Inuyasha." Saiai was angry that Inuyasha could be so disrespectful to his father even in death. He reached into his robe's sleeve to produce a think looking parchment that was bound together with coarse red string. Extending it away from his hand he pulled the cord loose to let the parchment fall flat out to its proper length. Miroku scrutinized the paper, wondering what information the paper was holding; Saiai noticed this. "You must be the monk named Miroku, no?"

"That is I," Miroku replied.

"Yes, yes, I've heard much about you." Perplexed, Miroku pointed at himself. "Lady Rin has spoken of the hole in your hand, that sounds really fascinating! She claims that you can suck things inside the empty void, yes?" Miroku nodded, not really understanding why the youkai was praising it so much when he loathed it. Aizuna nudged the tree youkai then, whispering something into his ear when Saiai bended down. "Oh! I'm so sorry, Miroku, I didn't mean to make it sound like something to be admired, my sincerest apologies!"

"It's all right." Miroku looked to Inuyasha.

"I seemed to have strayed from the main point again. Well now, where were we . . .?"

"Saiai, you were talking about getting Inuyasha to watch over the kingdom," Aizuna reminded him. He brushed a hand through his hair absentmindedly, discouraged by his companions sense of remembrance to keep himself on track; this was the only reason that he tagged along with him.

"As I were saying . . ."

-----

"Kaede's village sure is far away from where we're camping at," Shippou commented. He idly plucked a handful of grass to accommodate his boredom from getting too far out of mind. Sango was remained silent as she walked beside the small fox youkai, her posture straight and alert. Even in her normal outfit she still looked a extremely feisty opponent with the large boomerang situated on her back with the help of a strap that kept it upright. "Say, Sango, is something on your mind?"

"No, why do you ask?" she was quick to reply.

"You seem rather reoccupied is all. But don't mind me, I was simply asking," Shippou replied. Sango laughed wholeheartedly; she really liked Shippou's honesty when he talked to her. There were no needs for lies from him most of the time. Feeling a bit better than before the demon exterminator swung her arms back and forth as she walked. Kirara looked up at her momentarily before looking ahead once more, their destination could now be seen through the summit of a hill.

On their arrival several villagers came to see who the visitors were when they stepped foot through the front gates. To their left was Kaede, she was tenderly talking to a child, apparently she had scraped her knee so Kaede was treating the wound with herbs she had gathered. They approached her without any immediate haste although the problem at hand seemed like a very big issue. At the sound of footsteps Kaede turned to face them. The child she was tending to looked up at them with uncertainty. With a wave of her hand Kaede summoned forth a young looking girl to escort the child back to her home, from the looks of things Sango and Shippou were sure that the older girl was her sister.

"Kaede, we came to tell you something, perhaps you can give us some answers," Sango started. The old woman bowed her head and sighed, signaling for the human and youkai to follow her inside to her home. "We're very grateful that you're giving this some thought."

"What thought? I haven't even heard the problem yet," Kaede corrected her.

"Err . . . right . . ." _Does she have to be so critical about everything?_

As usual Kaede sat on her favorite tatami mat that was located right in front of the fire, once settled she tuned her ears to the voices of Shippou and Sango.

"Let's see, how shall I phrase this. Um, Kaede, hopefully you find this believable but the Bone Eater's well is sealed up again, however this time it was caused by some hooded figures that Inuyasha claims are priestesses. I'm not sure what exactly happened at the well so I'm relaying everything to you Inuyasha told us."

"He's really angry right now, too, since his brother is in Kagome's time era," Shippou added. Kaede turned to him, her one eye studying him. "Miroku and Inuyasha are over at the well at the moment, sadly Inuyasha didn't want to leave the well, so we told Miroku to stay there with him."

"Interesting. Inuyasha's brother is Sesshoumaru, correct?" Sango and Shippou nodded in unison. "Hooded figures that sealed away the well . . . Did Inuyasha tell either of you how they did it?" They shook their heads. "Hmmm . . . There isn't much to go by other than hooded figures sealing the well's entrance, I can't help you at all if I don't get more details. Try bringing Inuyasha here himself, it'd be best if he told me everything from the start to finish."

"So . . . We practically came here for nothing!" Shippou exclaimed. "Rely on Inuyasha to tell you things in full."

"We have no choice I suppose. Let's go back to the others." Just as Kirara jumped on Sango's shoulder she stood up to leave the room. "We'll be back another time, sorry to intrude. Come on, Shippou."

"Oooohhhhh! I hate Inuyasha so much!" Shippou hopped out of the hut fueling over with rage.

-----

"Mom, can you tell what's exactly wrong with him?" Kagome asked, hovering over the taiyoukai like her life depended on it. Souta stood beside her as he silently watched the whole ordeal. At this point almost the whole family was involved except for their grandpa who still had yet to find out the presence of Sesshoumaru.

"I'm not sure, honey. He also has so many wounds, it looks horrible."

"I know mom, I was getting to treating it when this spasm came up," Kagome explained. Tension filled her every being, seeing Sesshoumaru this way made her awfully nervous. _Sesshoumaru, what's wrong with you? You . . . You look like you're in so much pain . . . I just want that pain to go away! _"Mom, we seriously need to do something, I can't stand seeing him this way!"

_Even to me I wonder why I worry about you so much. Is it in my nature to do so to anyone that is injured?_

"Look! The spasms are finally over!" Souta pointed out. Just as he spoke these words Sesshoumaru slumped back in a stiff manner before relaxing completely. A foam of sweat covered him from head to toe and his forehead was burning with fever. "Um . . ."

"He appears to be sick," Mrs. Higurashi announced, placing a gentle hand to his hot forehead. She pulled her hand away when Souta brought her a damp towel to wipe his forehead with. Meanwhile Kagome stood on the sidelines merely watching what her mother and brother were trying to do for the poor taiyoukai. On instinct she knew she should help too but something held her in place . . . That little spasm he had reminded her of something she hoped she had forgotten long ago.

_Why is it resurfacing again!_

"Kagome, honey, you look a little tired yourself." Kagome turned to the sound of the voice: it was her mother's. Mrs. Higurashi's brow furrowed into a soft frown, not liking the sudden pale pallor that captured her daughter's appearance. Kagome smiled, trying to disarm the bothersome look her mother was giving her. "Kagome, if you're not feeling well-"

"No, no, I'm fine, really!" The raven haired girl flexed her arms and stretched her legs, trying to show her mother that she was in top condition. However, this was something that she shouldn't have done: her mother noticed something.

"Your hand, what happened to your hand?"

"Oh! Uh . . . I accidentally burned myself when I was cooking something." Kagome made sure to hide her injured hand behind her back. _Way to go Kagome, now you have your own mother breathing down your back instead of his! _"It's nothing too serious, I mean I can take care of the burn on my own. By the way," Kagome focused her attention to the bloody tarp on her bedroom floor, "I'm sure grandpa would want this back. Let me clean it up and put it back in the shrine, okay?"

"Sure, honey. Although you should let me look at your burn first."

"It's okay mom, I've got everything under control."

_Hopefully, right?_

To be continued!


	5. V: Step by Step

Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to own the characters they all belong to Takahashi Rumiko, not me.

A/N: The next chapter is here! Kikoku is another OC . . . This chapter is a bit longer than what I normally write up to, so enjoy. Things are getting crazier, eh?

Does anyone think I made Inuyasha too mean? ((crouches down behind a bush and hides))

A Gap Across Time

V: Step by Step

"You know what, Saiai, I'll still refuse no matter how many times you beg or ask me to do it. I'm not stooping that low to help my brother." Inuyasha watched as Saiai shook his head, somewhere in the back of the hanyou's mind he knew this annoying tree youkai wasn't going to give up too easily. "Miroku."

"Yes . . .?"

Pointing a finger at the pair, he demanded, "suck 'em up with your wind tunnel! I've had enough of these pests!" Miroku sweat dropped, giving his angry companion a puzzled look. "Come on, Miroku, just do it! It can't be that hard!"

"But . . . Inuyasha . . ."

"Let's just go home, Saiai. It looks like he can't be persuaded, at least not in this way," Aizuna noted.

Miroku turned to them. "I think that'd be best, as you can see, Inuyasha is being fairly unreasonable at the moment." The monk had to jump on Inuyasha when he tried to attack the other youkai himself. "Really, I think you two should leave."

"Let me go!"

Frowning, Saiai turned on his heels and walked away from the hanyou and the monk. _Inuyasha, you stubborn fool!_

Back at the palace, Saiai and Aizuna were greeted by the soldiers that were guarding the front gates when they returned. Saiai paid little attention, unlike his companion who happily nodded in their direction in response. From the way Inuyasha reacted to such a simple request put the tree youkai in a bad mood. However, the simple request, as he liked to call it wasn't as simple as he wanted it to be. Surely, someone of Inuyasha's caliber wasn't fit for the throne, although blood ties ran deep no matter how one acted, whether they were acknowledged as a good ruler or not for the position it could not be decided by one's own choice.

Saiai snapped out of his musings when Tsume, the haughty sparrow youkai approached them. Her dark brown pools known as eyes scanned the area carefully as if she was looking for someone. "I don't see Inuyasha anywhere."

"That's because he refused the offer," Saiai replied calmly. He knew that Tsume was trying to snare him into an arguing match in which he had no desire to participate in. After all, he had just finished a match with his Lord's half brother. "Well, Tsume, if you think you can do better then go ahead and try."

"Heh, just watch me. I know how to make Inuyasha agree easily," she replied, brown eyes sparkling mischievously.

"Oh? And how will you do that?"

"With her of course." With an elaborate gesture a beautiful priestess robed in red and white came into their line of vision. Her jet black hair was tied back in a loose ponytail, save only locks of her hair to fall across either side of her graceful looking face. Her soft, gentle bangs further heightened the roundness of her cheeks and the dark brown color of her eyes; they were much like Tsume's except a little lighter in comparison.

"Who's this?" Aizuna curiously asked as his opal colored eyes filled with wonder.

"Her name is Kikyou and she's all I need to get Inuyasha to come here."

"Don't forget the end of your bargain, Tsume," Kikyou reminded her. _However did I get dragged into this? _Kikyou knew from experience that she shouldn't fully trust youkai, but this time her curiously strong urge to see the hanyou again got the best of her. It was even mind-bogglingly to her why she even felt this way in the first place.

Tsume laughed. "Don't worry my dearest priestess, at the sight of you and your word you'll surely make the hanyou do as you ask."

"I see . . ." _Will he really listen to me?_

-----

"Hi, Katari, whatcha doing?" Rin cheerfully asked. She wanted to try and be in a happy mood. She knew that she had been sulking all day and it wasn't hard to see the distressed look on Surin's face every time she thought the child wasn't looking. Rin had then been walking around the palace grounds hoping to find something or someone to cheer her up. It was here by a mid-lit patio that she stumbled upon the horse youkai known as Katari quietly sipping tea.

The elegant horse youkai turned to the child, for once trying to making conversation with the human girl. Usually, he'd say a few words to her from orders from his Lord, other than that he never really talked to her in an awkwardly friendly way till now. "I'm simply sitting here enjoying the midday sun until Aizuna returns home."

He was already within the palace grounds, but neither Rin nor Katari had any knowledge of this.

"You're always with Aizuna, how come?"

The horse youkai known for the whiteness of his hair, eyes, and clothing blushed a honey-dewed red, flustered by the child's innocent question. It was all too true that he had a fixation over Aizuna; more so, it could have even been called love. No one other than that handsome hedgehog youkai could make Katari's heart skip a beat or leap with unlimited joy. Even his smile alone warmed his gentle heart.

"Err . . . You see, Rin, Aizuna and I are very close friends. It's much like you and our Lord. Your bond is strong just like Aizuna and mines."

"I hope it is." Rin scrutinized the youkai, unsure of what he was telling her was true or not. "Lord Sesshoumaru is always so quiet and emotionless, it's hard to tell what he's really feeling, you know." In that instance, Rin's eyes traveled to that of Katari's steaming cup. She changed subjects as easily as the passing of seasons; she did it with ease. "What are you drinking? Can I have some?"

"Its elderberry tea," he told her, handing her the warm cup. "It's rather sweet, unlike charcoal tea which tastes like what it's called."

From where the two were sitting the sun's rays captured the glow within them perfectly as they shared a laugh. A guard situated not too far from them watched them curiously. He himself had never talked to the human child once; yet watching her now showed him how nice a creature she really was. Still, it was not in his place to have room for such emotion such as fondness or love, as a soldier he had to be resolute and detached lest he wanted to be ranked lower among the other youkai by his Lord. As odd as it may seem, even with the absence of their Lord everyone within the castle still felt the need to act accordingly on a regular basis. This may have been because of the counselors and ministers but without a doubt, most were still sure that their Lord would return; only a few had given up hope. Those were the weak-hearted and least faithful from the brood.

"You there, look sharp. That droopy, carefree grin on your face doesn't suit someone like you," someone barked.

"Y-yes, sir!"

The soldier immediately stood to attention, staring blankly ahead as the counselor slowly walked past him, rough leather brushing against the cold marbled floor. The soldier never once turned his head to watch the orderly youkai turn around the corner. If he remembered correctly, the counselor that caught him slacking was known as Kikoku. His brash, military-like attitude clearly showed all that was around that he meant business and nothing else. Coming from a well-to-do family of fierce badger youkai, this counselor had worked under Lord Sesshoumaru's father centuries ago and now was serving his son. He also sure knew how to strut his weight around and was as loyal to Lord Sesshoumaru as can be. And for reasons unknown, Kikoku had a long scar that ran the length of his left forehead all the way down to the jaw line of his left cheek. If that wasn't menacing enough, his grizzly gray colored hair made the flare of his amethyst hued orbs even sharper and brighter than necessary. The soldier let out a gruff grunt before going back to his job instead of idling about.

However, it was hard not to watch the gentle horse youkai and the human girl interact with one another.

-----

Miroku literally had to use a talisman to bind Inuyasha down when he tried to chase after Saiai and Aizuna. He hadn't the slightest clue why the hanyou hated Sesshoumaru's subjects so much . . . He was sure they hadn't done a thing to his pretty little head let alone any of his other companions.

"Inuyasha, you know I can't undo the spell until you've calmed down. Loathing your brother's counselors and soldiers terrifies me."

"What the hell do you mean terrified?" The only thing that he was allowed to move was his head so he made good use of its movements, craning his neck painfully to look at the monk as best he could. Everything else had been plastered down with charms that prevented mobility. It even surprised the hanyou how Miroku even managed such a feat as pinning him down to the forest floor when he was obviously faster and stronger. Likewise, things such as those didn't matter at the moment.

"Well, naturally, you don't simply hate someone really strongly unless they've done you some sort of wrong. They didn't really do anything other than ask you to substitute as the ruler for the kingdom . . . I wouldn't have minded staying at a castle. There must have been beautiful-"

"Miroku . . ." Inuyasha drawled, interrupting the other man. "Is that all your entire perverted mind can think about?"

"Ehehehe . . ." Miroku impishly smiled at Inuyasha, much like a child would have done to his mother if he were caught in the act of saying something completely out of line, and or rather you call it: naughty.

"Inuyasha, Miroku, we're back!" Sango called out only to stop dead in her tracks at the sight of Inuyasha nailed to the forest floor. "Did Shippou and I miss something?"

"Hah! Inuyasha is pinned to the ground much like the dog he is!" Shippou declared, still mad about the event that had transpired earlier at Kaede's home.

"Shippou, shut up! If I wasn't bounded like this I'll have your puny little hide tanned clean off that wimpy ass of yours!"

"Oooohhhhh, like I'm so scared," Shippou taunted.

"Now, now, you two, no need to have a dispute over this," Miroku reasoned. "And I still can't release you Inuyasha, you'll surely tan poor Shippou's bottom if I did."

"You make it sound as if I seriously meant it!" Inuyasha snorted disdainfully. Shippou laughed then, which caused Inuyasha to head back towards the road of mad rage. "If he doesn't stop with all the taunting I'll definitely do it once I'm free!"

Shippou ran up the length of Sango's right shoulder, positioning himself to the side opposite of Kirara. "Does he sound a lot snappier than usual to you?" The demon exterminator nodded her head in agreement. "We really need Kagome here to clear up his jumbled mind."

"Tell me about it," Sango readily agreed once more.

"What are you two mumbling about?"

"Nothing!" Sango and Shippou replied in unison to Inuyasha's vengeful question.

"Oh, yes. By the way, what did Kaede say?" Miroku remembered to ask. He sat down by Inuyasha's prone form on the forest floor by the sealed well, tired of standing for once since this long afternoon rolled by.

"Well . . . About that . . ." Sango started.

"Kaede said that she can't say anything about it with the extremely vague response Inuyasha told us to tell her. You gotta go talk to her yourself, Inuyasha," Shippou explained. "That little trip really was uncalled for; you should have gone in the first place."

"Keh."

A feminine youkai stepped out into the clearing holding a parchment similar to the one Saiai was holding earlier. All heads turned to her when she ushered for someone to come out into the clearing with her.

All in one voice, they chorused, "Kikyou?"

Kikyou, who had been previously watching her footing, looked up then. Quiet, dark brown eyes scanning along the row of friends to rest gently on Inuyasha who lay pinned to the ground by sutras. He was by far the most shocked of all his companions to see her of all places and times.

"Hello there, Inuyasha," the female youkai called out. Her violet colored shawl was raised higher onto her shoulders as she momentarily adjusted them. Her dark colored skin gave off the impression that it was one with the earth, melding into its cold embrace below their feet, yet this was just a coloring of the sparrow youkai's skin.

Inuyasha paid no attention to the sparrow youkai; the only person he could focus on was Kikyou. Kikyou, too, only had eyes for the hanyou. Something within her leapt for joy at the sight of her past beloved.

"Excuse me . . . But what are you guys exactly doing here?" Sango broke the much unneeded silence.

"Go on, Kikyou, tell him," the female youkai urged. Kikyou obliged.

"Inuyasha, I would like it if you were to watch over your brother's kingdom . . . At least until he returns."

The response the priestess received was not something neither she nor Tsume expected.

"You sound just like Saiai, are you sure you're not him in disguise trying to persuade me with the form of Kikyou?" Inuyasha asked.

-----

It hadn't really crossed her mind how the tarp ended up back in her room, but luckily it was there since she could now escape her mother. Kagome regretfully hauled the bloodied tarp into her arms, but as soon as she did so blood trickled down onto her school uniform. She inwardly groaned, knowing full well that it'd be pretty hard to wash off if it were even possible to at all. Aside from this the raven haired girl now could estimate how much blood Sesshoumaru had lost. From her observations of the tarp and her soaked uniform it was definitely a lot. Sighing, Kagome dropped the tarp onto the concrete porch in her backyard. Out in the sun, the blood shined a bright red, within seconds flies came out of nowhere and swarmed around the disgusting thing.

"Darn, I forgot the soap and sponge," Kagome verbally told herself.

Without thinking Kagome went to the front side of the backyard to get the sponge and soap since it was left by their front door on a small chair. That morning Mrs. Higurashi had been washing something herself. It wasn't until Kagome reached the front porch did she hear someone say, "Kagome, what happened to you?"

_Hojo? _Turning around slowly Kagome indeed saw the brown haired youth standing yonder the front gate. "Hojo . . ." she managed to say.

"Your uniform . . ." he started.

Kagome looked down at herself and then back up. "Oh! You mean this red stuff? It's merely red paint; my mom wanted me to repaint a chair we have inside the house. You know, it's a messy job." Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew what she was saying wasn't doing her any justice, since she was usually a straightforward and honest person by heart.

_Why does lying make me feel so bad? I'm doing it for a good cause, right? More like, I'm doing it to keep things a secret and keep myself cleared of anything . . . _

"Would you like some help? I was on my way home from my grandmother's," Hojo told her.

"No, that's all right, Hojo. I'm almost done anyway. But thanks for the the offer," Kagome replied. She hurriedly picked up the sponge and soap and sprinted back behind the house, Kagome didn't bother to see whether Hojo was still standing there or simply walked along his way.

Kagome cringed at the sight of the tarp; there were so many flies on it that she almost lost the nerve to even touch it. However, such a girl like her was strong-willed, so she swallowed her pride as she eased her hand down onto the thing. Once she got into the rhythm of things the raven haired girl lost herself into the act of cleaning, to her this was a daily routine and a necessity in her everyday life. Before long the tarp was clean and cleared of its unbearable stench to some extent. Satisfied with her work, Kagome returned it to the shrine only to remember that something of importance to the taiyoukai was down in the well.

_His swords . . . I must have forgotten them before . . ._

In the mean time Kagome's mother stayed by Sesshoumaru's side as he slept, most quite uncomfortably in her standards. Every once in a while she'd take the damp towel away from his crescent marred forehead to soak the cloth once more with cool water. Kagome walked in then, carrying two swords oddly as she tried not to make them touch her stained uniform and hurt her injured hand too much; however the swords were not light so Kagome had trouble walking straight. It made her wonder how Sesshoumaru could carry these things with graceful ease on the side of his waist.

"Kagome, your uniform."

Kagome sweat dropped. _That's the first thing my mother worries about? _With her already awkward movements Kagome tripped over one of her own highly stacked books in a corner. The swords flew out of her hands: one landed on the floor with a loud thud while the other sword, the Tenseiga, landed on Sesshoumaru. Surprisingly, Sesshoumaru awoke with a start, the sword's hilt made contact with his injured ribcage, causing him to painfully awake.

At first everything was hazy; he even felt light-headed from all the blood he'd lost earlier. "He's awake!" he heard someone say. Within moments a flurry of green, white and red blocked his view from the acrid, white-wash walls of the room. The voice he heard spoke again. "How are you feeling, Sesshoumaru?"

_I . . . I vaguely remember . . ._

"Think you can handle it from here, Kagome?" The girl nodded. "Okay, then," Mrs. Higurashi stood up to leave, "and Kagome, do take care of that burn on your hand. You know where we put all the medicine." The girl nodded once more.

Kagome turned her attention back to Sesshoumaru to see that he was studying her closely. Kagome blushed then, it was either from his silent staring or the fact that she looked like a mess before him. Her embarrassment didn't last long though because he spoke.

"You, what did you do to my clothes?" he demanded, voice very low and menacing.

"I've got a name, you know. It's Kagome - so stop calling me 'you' or 'woman', my name is Kagome, got it?" She frowned when the taiyoukai did not acknowledge her; instead he looked down at the Tenseiga that lay on top of him. "Oh! Your swords!" Without much thought she picked them up from the floor and laid the Tenseiga and Toukijin side by side on the bed to Sesshoumaru's right.

The pain in Sesshoumaru's ribs subsided, but the fact that dawned on him now annoyed him to no end. _Curse this body, why is it that I have no strength to move? _From an outward appearance one wouldn't have been able to tell that Sessshoumaru was sick at the moment unless they touched his burning forehead. His eyes followed the girl's when she suddenly looked to his right. It didn't take him a single heart beat to know what she was staring at.

"Is that your tail?" Kagome asked curiously. She had always wondered about it.

"That is of no importance to you," he replied rather coldly. Turning his head to the side the once cool cloth fell off his forehead to land softly on the pillow. Kagome leaned over him at this moment to pick up the cloth, the smell of peaches were so strong that it overpowered Sesshoumaru's senses completely. "Get away."

"Huh?" Kagome leaned away from him with the damp towel in here uninjured hand.

"Stay away from me. Your scent is most unwanted near me," he told her blandly.

The girl blanched at the comment, she was openly hurt by the need for her to stay away. It greatly confused her as to why she'd hate separating herself from him when at any other time in the feudal era she would have gladly avoided him.

"Stop daydreaming and get me my clothes. I am not suited to such nudity." Sesshoumaru was even surprised that whoever shed him of his clothing went so far as to remove his undergarment too. The one material that kept the thing between his legs hidden were gone also much to his dismay.

"Erm . . ." Kagome looked around the room, his clothing was nowhere in sight, "it's not here at the moment. In the time being wouldn't you like a warm bath? That spasm you had earlier really gave us all a scare - you're even burning with fever, too. Although from the look of things you appear to be fine. Surely, you must be in pain though?"

"Be silent, woman, you talk too much." He was indeed burning with fever, due to his befallen illness everything about him heightened ten-fold. What worried him however was that with his senses this highly stimulated it put him at great risk of getting hurt. It was not that he was worried of getting attacked in this world anyhow, but one can never be too sure.

"Look, Sesshoumaru, I'm going to help you whether you want me to or not," she stood up and stalked towards her bedroom door in big strides, "and I'm going to run a bath for you. In all actuality you'd appreciate this gesture; it's just that you don't want to admit it."

_Foolish woman. I wish not to thank you; it is rather in my desire to silence you forever._

_Geez, guys these days . . . Well, more like 'youkai'. . . _

Kagome looked at her burned hand for a moment as she stood before the bathroom's large mirror. The arrow that burned her before never really left her mind; she simply tried her best not to think about it. Now that she was alone for once that day she wanted to take a good look at the burn. From her speculation the scalded skin on her hand wasn't too badly damaged, although she shouldn't take the wound too lightly. Looking towards the cabinet to her left she opened it to take out a roll of bandages to use it to wrap around her injured hand.

While she was busy doing this, Sesshoumaru was quickly trying to find a way to escape her horrid home. It was much too cluttered and small to his liking, unlike his massive kingdom; it was expansive and roomy.

With much effort Sesshoumaru managed to lift his right arm from out underneath the blood-stained blanket. He could smell it everywhere - his own blood's scent filled his nostrils with more than enough of their share. His head sharply snapped up when Kagome returned with a bandaged hand. From the looks of it, it appeared that she had been injured. _Why hadn't I noticed the stench of her wound? Curse this bothersome fever!_

"Your bath is ready, Sesshoumaru. Ready to go?" Kagome stood beside him by the bed, watching him expectantly. It didn't cross her mind that he couldn't really move due to the loss of large amounts of blood and his fever. "Come on, get up."

Sesshoumaru frowned, remaining tight-lipped. He knew he needed assistance but he wasn't going to ask this girl to help.

"Something the matter?" she asked. _Why isn't he getting up? Is it because he's naked? Oh! That must be it! _"Um . . . Sesshoumaru, I'll turn around so please get up. I promise I won't peek."

_How stupid can this girl be?_

Respite what he didn't want to show the girl he longed to bathe ever since he awoke. He wasn't going to get up on his own, but he couldn't bring himself to ask that one simple question.

"Woman," he started.

"It's Kagome! My name is Kagome, not woman!" she replied, quickly turning around without thinking. One of her heels had been kneading down on the blanket since parts of it fell to the floor beside her. With her sudden turning motion she accidentally slid it down almost below Sesshoumaru's waist. Her face turned as red as a tomato. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that!" Kagome bent over to cover the taiyoukai only to fall on top of him from her flustered movements. He gently grunted in pain, as much as he tried to conceal it, Kagome was too close to him so she heard the pain moan. "Oh! Oh, I didn't mean-"

Sesshoumaru snarled out of anger. Unbeknownst to him he somehow found the strength to shove the obnoxious girl off him. She landed on her bottom with a soft thud, her face crinkling up upon the contact.

"You intolerable bitch," he spat angrily. "I don't need your help." Hurt, Kagome stayed the way she fell, head bowed. "I will go take a bath, do not touch me." Putting on a look of indifference Sesshoumaru miraculously stood up, blanket draped securely around his mid-section. Kagome never once looked up at him as he slowly made his way out of the bedroom. Only when she heard a loud thud did she take the time to react.

"Sesshoumaru!"

"I said don't touch me!" He slapped her shaking hands away. _My legs . . . Why did they suddenly fail me, causing me to fall like this? _As hard as he tried his legs refused to budge.

"You need help so don't push me away," Kagome said in a commanding tone. Her once sulky demeanor disappeared to be replaced with that of a courageous nature. "I know you can't move your legs, if you could you would've gotten up already. Besides, you're going the wrong way if you're trying to get to the bathroom . . . It's in the other direction." Turning back to look inside her bedroom she saw the fluffy material she assumed as Sesshoumaru's tail on her bed. "That . . . Wasn't your tail? I though you had a tail since Inuyasha . . ." she looked down at him, voice faltering from the way he stared at her, ". . . had dog ears."

"You speak as if you wish to degrade me. You despicable woman," he told her.

"No! That wasn't what I was trying to do! Um, I'm sorry." Kagome kneeled down by the taiyoukai. In a much gentler and quieter tone, she said, "I really want to help you so please let me, okay?" He grunted in response. "Is that a yes?" Sesshoumaru remained impassive and silent. "I'm guessing that's a yes, then."

With careful hands Kagome struggled to angle her hands correctly since Sesshoumaru had a injured left shoulder and ribcage. At one point she unintentionally pressed a hand onto his wounded shoulder, but he made no sound of protest or pain. Puckering her lips Kagome managed to get the taiyoukai to stand up in a straight manner when she shoved him from below the right armpit. She nearly fell back down from all the weight he was putting on her. It wasn't that he was extremely heavy; he was bigger and taller than her so it was only natural that he weighed more.

"Don't strain yourself," she heard the Demon Lord say.

Kagome smiled, she knew that Sesshoumaru was trying to see to her well-being. Even if he wouldn't openly admit it if she had asked of him, but she knew all too well.

"Don't worry, Sesshoumaru, we're almost there." Kagome was painfully aware of Sesshoumaru's bare skin brushing against her left cheek lightly as she hauled him by the armpit.

"Oh, Kagome . . . My, my, who is that with you?"

_Grandpa, not now! Why did he have to see me at a time like this!_

To be continued!


	6. VI: From Bad to Worse

Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to own the characters they all belong to Takahashi Rumiko, not me.

A/N: This chapter is all/almost all about Sesshoumaru/Kagome. Also, a very lengthy chapter, longer than the norm for me. Shower me with reviews! Please? I'd like to know what everyone thought of it.

One **random comment**, "I love rice, I eat it with a lot of things, I eat it everyday. Don't you love rice, too?" XD

A Gap Across Time

VI: From Bad to Worse

"Kagome! Who's that man you're supporting!" Kagome's grandpa exclaimed. He took tentative steps closer to the two, wanting to get a good glimpse of Sesshoumaru's bowed head. Squinting his eyes, he said, "he looks a lot like Inuyasha."

"Grandpa, please!" Kagome hurriedly looked to Sesshoumaru to see his expression; brown eyes furrowing with worry. Other than a low snarl the taiyoukai didn't do anything else. Kagome sweat dropped, knowing all too well that he would have assaulted her grandpa if he had had the strength to do so. _If only, eh, Sesshoumaru? _Turning back to her grandpa, she pleaded with him. "Please, can you not bother us at the moment?"

"Aaahhhhh, my only granddaughter is already up to that kind of mischief!" He wailed and wailed, ignoring the fact that Kagome was giving him an estranged stare.

"Silence that old man," Sesshoumaru hissed. His sense of hearing was already sharp; the fever only made it more unbearable. Kagome looked from the Demon Lord to her grandpa helplessly. "If you don't do it soon, I will." Kagome could clearly hear the threat in his tone, from the way he was glaring at her she knew he really meant it. If her grandpa didn't pipe down . . .

_Aaauuuhhhh, tell me this isn't happening! _"Grandpa!" He still continued to wail needlessly. "Grandpa, shut up!" He stopped immediately, never in his life had he ever heard of his granddaughter saying that to him before; he gave her a hurt look, his wrinkled face becoming a frown. "You . . . you've got it all wrong, grandpa. As you can see, I'm trying to help this man here to the bathroom; he's injured so he's in need of assistance. So, um, if you'll excuse us . . ."

"Kagome, who is this young man? He does resemble Inuyasha quite a bit in fact." He blocked their path when Kagome tried to side-step him. "No need to be bashful, you can tell your grandpa."

Sesshoumaru was so annoyed at this point that he looked up at the old man, golden eyes glaring at him dangerously. Kagome's grandpa didn't take a second to register that as a threat, he gulped and backed up a step. Kagome was baffled at her grandpa's sudden change in mood - she had no idea that Sesshoumaru was scaring the wits out of him.

"Move aside, old man," Sesshoumaru commanded, voice dripping with malice at each spoken word.

Kagome worriedly bit her bottom lip, she could see how dangerous Sesshoumaru had become even if he was barely able to move on his own. As much as she wanted to help the taiyoukai she would never forgive him if he injured her grandpa. _But then _again_, he might not care either way. You can see how heartless he is after all, Kagome. That little blush was far from the real Sesshoumaru . . . _Kagome snapped put of her musings when she felt Sesshoumaru's weight suddenly make her lurch to the side. She would have lost her balance completely if it wasn't for her left hand clinging onto the side of her open bedroom door.

"Sesshoumaru . . .?" she asked hesitantly.

"He's about to keel over," her grandpa told her.

_My strength . . . what ails me, rendering me to be so weak . . .? So pathetic . . .?_

_-----_

"Inuyasha, you fool! This is Kikyou!" Inuyasha craned his neck in the general direction of the highly irked youkai. His golden eyes heatedly clashed with her brown ones. "I thought you'd have enough sense to know who she is!"

"And who the fuck are you?" Inuyasha interrogated, not liking the harsh tone the other youkai was directing at him. His eyes fell on the parchment that she held within her grasp, it only took him a moment to realize that she was probably another one of Sesshoumaru's counselors. A low growl escaped his lips.

"I'm Tsume, a counselor from your brother's kingdom. I've brought Kikyou with me to get you to come with us, you do care for her, no?"

"Of course I do!"

"Inuyasha, please come . . ." Kikyou tried her best to looking pleadingly at the hanyou. There was something that she wanted really badly, and yet she couldn't tell him the reason for her wish. _Perhaps in time he would get to know. _"It's very important to me if you do this."

"What could be so important?" Miroku intervened, saving Inuyasha from answering.

"Miroku, unbind me! That bitch must have forced Kikyou into doing this! I'll make her pay for it! Kikyou!" Inuyasha craned his neck towards her as best as he could. "Don't listen to her, she's just using you!"

"Using me?" she replied with mock sincerity. This reminded her of the day Inuyasha betrayed her fifty years ago - he had used her to get the sacred jewel. _How can I believe what he is saying when he is the same way? _"You speak of ill-naught, you were once this way, too, it's only that I can trust Tsume to keep her word."

"That . . . Oh my god, Kikyou, I didn't betray you back then." Inuyaha's voice was suddenly filled with pure emotion. "That wasn't me. It was Naraku disguised as me and he killed you for the sacred jewel, I swear."

"It pains me, Inuyasha, to see you this way."

Despite the fact that he wasn't the one that killed her the hanyou couldn't help but feel bad. It was at this moment that he made his decision, his voice rung out clear and true with no hints of doubt or fear. "Okay, I'll do it. Release me, Miroku, I'm going to do it for Kikyou's sake."

"Excellent choice Inuyasha, I knew you'd come around," Tsume crooned.

"I'm not doing this for Sesshoumaru, got it?" he snapped.

"Of course."

_Everything is falling into place._

Inuyasha winced in pain when Sango, Shippou, and Miroku kneeled down on either side of him as they pulled the sutra charms off. From each pull, searing pain that felt like a stinging sensation ripped across the skin that made contact with the sutras; even through the clothing they did reach. Kikyou would've helped but Tsume blocked her path, silently warning her to stay away from the hanyou.

"Goddamit, Miroku, what the hell did you do to these sutras? They hurt like a son-of-a-bitch when you guys pull them off!" Inuyasha muffled a cry when Sango accidentally pulled on one a little too hard. She flushed and immediately apologized though it was ignored. "Why did you have to put so many on me?"

Sweat dropping, Miroku replied, "well, I needed a lot to restrain you since you're not exactly all human. And as for the pain from the sutras, I am truly sorry. These were the only kind I had an abundance of so I was thinking to myself: 'why not use some?'"

"More like a lot," Sango corrected him.

Once Inuyasha was freed he flexed his stiff muscles eagerly and stretched his inactive limbs to get the blood flowing again. All the while his eyes remained on Kikyou who was quietly talking to Tsume not too far off, she'd turn his way and glance at him several times though her eyes didn't linger very long. From the way her eyes lighted up each time she looked at him, Inuyasha knew that something wonderful was going to happen. This, in itself, helped ease the idea that he had to play as a babysitter for his absent half-brother, Sesshoumaru.

-----

Sesshoumaru's tired eyes fought to stay open and alert, but he found it even hard to do when warm water surrounded his hot, sticky skin. He hadn't thought much about how the raven haired girl placed him into the tub without looking at his manhood; at the current moment he could care less. His equally tired mind could discern the idea that someone was gently washing his pale arms; a wash cloth rubbed over the length of his purpled striped skin.

Kagome, too, was surprised that she managed to place Sesshoumaru into the tub with the mind of keeping his hidden region privately concealed; least to say intact. She had the urge to call for Souta's help again, but he conveniently wasn't home anymore thanks to his soccer pals who wanted him to go out and play. Worst yet, she was the one that allowed him to go when he asked her if she needed any more help. Aside from this her mom went grocery shopping while her grandpa went back into the shrine to pray. She could only guess what exactly he was praying for . . .

The soapy surface of the water covered the normally clear liquid with a mountain of suds. Kagome was grateful nonetheless, in this way she wouldn't have to look away from the taiyoukai.

Voice heavy and sullen, Sesshoumaru asked, "why are you doing this?"

"Look, Sesshoumaru, you don't always need a reason to help someone. You should do it out of kindness," she said thoughtfully. A small smile managed to grace her pink lips momentarily.

"You speak nonsense," he replied.

"You know . . ." Kagome stared at him intently and randomly said, "while you're stuck here . . . I wonder how Inuyasha and the others are doing without me? I haven't gone back for almost a month now . . ."

"Don't waste your breath on a hanyou like him." Sesshoumaru sagged his shoulders considerably, the warm water helped loosen his tense muscles. His half-lidded eyes stayed on Kagome, the smell of peaches was strong all around him. At this point his mind started to wander.

_Rin, the palace . . . All must be strewn into chaos without me. I must go back._

Intrigued with new vigor Sesshoumaru tried to sit up in the tub. However, Kagome ushered him back down. Sesshoumaru growled, he'd had enough of her annoying tenacity to force him to stay put. _This is my body and she does not have the right to rule over it._ Even thinking such a thought like that sickened the taiyoukai; a demon Lord such as him being a bitch to a human girl did not appeal to him at all. He tried to sit up again only to be gently pushed back down by the stubborn raven haired girl.

"Let go of me, you incompetent woman."

"My name is Kagome, not woman," she corrected him. "Besides, you're injured, just worry about getting healed first. I'm sure your kingdom is-"

"You know nothing of the sort!" Sesshoumaru was truly angry now, the white areas of his eyes started to turn a light pink color. Kagome gasped and let go immediately, as soon as she did so the smell of peaches wasn't as strong but it still bother the demon Lord. "I've had enough of your insolent ministrations, you shall die here!" He lashed out a clawed hand at her, nails dipped with poison, however she dodged his attack. Sesshoumaru fell back against the tub's smooth surface when pain jolted from his injured ribcage and left shoulder; he had once again put too much strain on them.

_Why do these wounds refuse to heal?_

"Sesshoumaru, are you all right?" Kagome carefully asked, making sure to keep her distance from him. _He was really serious about killing me, wasn't he! _Kagome remained where she was as she watched the demon Lord of the Western Lands catch his breath. Her hair and clothing were now wet so they stuck closely to her skin, hugging her feminine figure. If Sesshoumaru paid any attention to her he would've seen all of her curves underneath her school uniform.

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and bowed his head. His anger was dissipating, though it wasn't completely gone yet; he still had the desire to slit the girl's skinny throat . . . If only she were in reaching distance. Composing himself, eyes averted from her, he said, "I've warned you many times, do not touch me. When I tell you to let me go you still insist on disobeying my command, are you that desperate to feel my skin?"

Kagome blushed while frowning. "That-that wasn't it! I . . . I only wanted to help you . . . And sometimes when someone is injured you can't take no for an answer. Much like in your case, Sesshoumaru."

_That voice. _"Stop addressing me in such a fashion, I am Lord Sesshoumaru. You have no right to defile my name." _It irritates me immensely._

"Oh? And you think woman is an appropriate title for me?" He glared at her. "Well, I've already told you many times that my name is Kagome . . . not woman!" _Grandpa, pray to Buddha that Sesshoumaru will stop acting so high and mighty! It's already hard enough dealing with him without that sour tongue of his! _"You can be so frustrating to talk to at times!"

"As of you."

Well aware of their situation, Kagome tried to keep everything as settled as possible. "Erm, since you're still in the tub you'd probably want to finish bathing, no?" Sesshoumaru didn't reply. "I can wash your hair and back for you . . ." Still no reply. "Se . . . Sesshoumaru?"

_What's happening to me? Why is it that I can no longer speak?_

A pulsating sensation could be felt around his wounds beneath the wet bandages. It was a definite fact that the arrows were no ordinary priestess arrows - they were something more sinister. He could hear the girl's concerned voice reverberating through his head, he longed to speak but he couldn't find the voice to do so. He really couldn't argue so he simply nodded his head, for once complying to the girl's wishes.

"How come you won't say anything?" Kagome took a bucket full of bath water and poured it over Sesshoumaru's head. (Her fear of him attacking her had already diminished.) He neither flinched nor moved an inch when Kagome squirted shampoo into her uninjured hand and massaged it into his scalp. It took her a while to do the task with one hand but she completed it. "Are you giving me the silent treatment?" Sesshoumaru remained tight-lipped while staring blankly ahead. His amber eyes were like two chunks of frozen stone, hard and sturdy like enamel. Kagome could only wonder what he was thinking about as she cleaned him.

When she was done, Kagome excused herself to get him a bathrobe. From the loss of contact the taiyoukai could feel his pulsating wounds flare up with pain: it was the strangest sensation he had ever felt. It was not that it wasn't unbearable, but given enough time even a demon Lord such as himself would be crushed from all the agony. However, Sesshoumaru found it very unlikely that he'd die from this . . . even if the pain became too much eventually. He couldn't die because he had something to live for: he had his kingdom and the lands of the West, there was still much to be done.

When Kagome came back with a bathrobe she found the taiyoukai shaking with another spasm again. The bathrobe suddenly felt too slippery for it slipped from her clutches, automatically a thin film of sweat overcame her. A horrible feeling from the gut of her stomach traveled up her throat and stayed lodged there, her eyes became glossy, her breathing shallow. Although these things were happening to her she still had one clear thought in her mind.

_I must help Sesshoumaru no matter what!_

_-----_

Mrs. Higurashi was the first to arrive home early to be welcomed by a very wet bathroom when she opened the door. A trail of blood ran the length of the tub and down along the tiled floor past the entryway. Without a moment's hesitation she rushed to her daughter's room to see both Kagome and the silver haired taiyoukai lying side by side on the carpeted floor. Blood seeped through the bathrobe that Sesshoumaru was wearing.

Sesshoumaru awoke to the sounds of many things, his ears were acutely sensitive; more so than before. A sink could be heard running from the kitchen, and Souta's voice floated down from the hallway. He could even feel someone's body heat beside him, all he had to do was turn his head to see that it was none other than the annoying raven haired girl. Her attire was now changed, she was in some strange looking clothing that Sesshoumaru assumed was sleepwear. The scent of peaches was strong as he laid there beside her. He thought it was strange that he didn't feel the desire to move away from her. However, upon losing contact he finally figured out why.

_Her touch can soothe the pain . . . Interesting. What little sorcery did these hooded beings possess? And where would this girl receive such a burn on her hand, wasn't it she who pulled out my arrows?_

Kagome flung a hand upward, knocking the curtain above their heads open. Bright sunlight filtered through and warmed the blanket from their chest down. It wasn't difficult for the taiyoukai to realize that he had remained within this house for one day already. From the looks of it, it appeared to be early afternoon and he was feeling really hungry. Although he wanted something to eat he knew that now was not the time to think about his stomach, there were simply too many things to worry about.

"Meeeooooww."

Sesshoumaru looked up above his head to see an extremely fat cat sitting on the windowsill. Its large blue eyes looked back down at him, its tail swishing back and forth in a content manner. The cat's purring rung through his ears, the sound of it was more sating than annoying much to Sesshoumaru's surprise. He closed his magenta tinted lids and tuned into the sound, drowning out all other noises. One could have called it meditation since the demon Lord went completely rigid, his breathing slow and shallow and he tried his best to clear his thoughts and ignore his aching wounds. It worked for a while until the fair skinned girl woke up beside him.

Kagome stifled a yawn as she stretched, or rather tried to stretch her arms. She glanced over to her left when she realized that her left shoulder came into contact with something warm and soft. A blood-curdling scream left her lips before she even knew she was shrieking. Sesshoumaru grimaced at best: the pitch of her scream was right beside his ear. It took him several moments to regain his posture and glare at her angrily since words were robbed from him because of his muteness.

"What's the problem!"

"What's the matter!"

"What's all the screaming about!"

Souta, Mrs. Higurashi, and Kagome's grandpa came running into the room and started to flock around the twin-sized bed. Kagome turned beet red as she looked at her family, then to Sesshoumaru.

Buyo broke the silence. "Meow."

"Is there something the matter?" Mrs. Higurashi asked slowly as she watched her daughter's every movement and expression. "Are . . . are you tired?"

"Mom!" She pointed a finger at the taiyoukai, nearly missing poking him in an eye. Everyone followed the movements of her hand so now all of their attention was directed at Sesshoumaru's beautifully striped face. "Why are we sleeping on the same bed! He - he should have slept somewhere else!"

"Kagome, honey, this is the biggest bed we have in the house. Souta and your grandpa had to bunk together while I took the couch, since your bed isn't fit to sleep in with all that blood that has smothered it." Kagome's startled expression dulled considerably, the heat in her cheeks lowering every second as she digested everything her mother said. "Yesterday . . . I found you and Sesshoumaru unconscious on your bedroom floor . . . he and you were wet as well as obviously worn out; it was easy to see on the expression on your faces." Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed at her, he had never remembered looking that way even when he was injured or at times weak with fever. "I'm worried about you, Kagome. All I'm hoping for . . . is that you forget about that one thing in your past so you can move on . . ."

"Mom . . ." Kagome knew all too well what her mother was talking about.

_Those spasms . . . They were so hard to watch, at those times I've always felt helpless when I realized that with my own hands - even with yours . . . we couldn't save him. Even now, I'm still glad that Souta was only a baby when this all happened . . . He didn't know any of this at all, though at times I thought he had the right to._

"Well, enough of that." A good-natured smile spread across Mrs. Higurashi's lips. "I'm sure the two of you must be hungry so I've made lunch a little late, and in that way everyone can eat together."

"Wow, mom, you're the greatest!" Kagome gushed.

Feeling that Sesshoumaru was being neglected of any attention, Souta asked, "ah . . . Sesshoumaru, how are you feeling today? Are you any better?" Sesshoumaru inclined his head in the general direction of the smaller boy, he took a good look into his chocolate colored eyes. In some ways, this boy known as Souta, reminded him a lot about Rin. For a flickering moment the taiyoukai thought he felt a pang of pain within his heart - confused by the sensation he frowned down upon the boy. "Um, did I do something wrong?"

"Don't mess with him, Souta. You don't want to get on his bad side . . ." his grandpa warned him.

_Stupid humans . . ._

In this point in time Sesshoumaru wanted nothing more than to be back in his own room; in his own quiet study back in the feudal era where he rightfully belonged. He longed for the silence more than ever; he longed for everything that was supposedly his. Moreover, he found the fever that he was perceived to be having he considered as a hinderance, it wasn't a simple cold: this fever was beyond all that. It in itself made him lose his voice, strength, and his senses were so highly stimulated that the slightest nuisances pricked at him; much like a thorn that has pricked one's finger, causing it to bleed.

"Sessshoumaru, would you mind joining us for lunch?" Mrs. Higurashi asked.

He looked at her for a moment, unsure of what his response should be. In spite of himself he readily agreed with a nod of the head, since he couldn't fight off the pangs of hunger any longer. It also intrigued him as to what humans on this side of the well ate, today it would be his first time he'd get a taste of it.

At the family table Sesshoumaru was astounded to find that the food they were eating wasn't too different in appearance compared to what he ate back in the feudal era. However, the taiyoukai knew better than to judge something by its appearance, here, at the table taste was going to be a big factor, too. It was already crazy enough that he was to eat lunch with humans let alone enjoy their hospitaility; all was not as it should have been. The demon Lord was at great unease, although to what extent did he want to show this around the girl and her family? It was very unlike him to worry about matters such as the girl and her family . . . In fact, they should have been no concern to him whatsoever.

_Still, why is my heart troubled by such a burden as heavy as this?_

"Sesshoumaru . . . try some fish, I hope it's to your liking," Mrs. Higurashi told him. She warmly smiled at him when he looked at her.

_This woman . . . she reminds me too much of her. I mustn't let my thoughts linger to the past as well - I must look ahead and achieve my goals one by one. If what that stubborn girl says is true, then I am utterly at a loss to go back to my time. Although I'll make sure to check the well myself. Humans can never be trusted . . . I should know this from the mistake my stupid half-brother fell into. That was why he was pinned to the tree for fifty long years._

"Come on, Sesshoumaru, try some," Kagome urged, bravely nudging him gently. It still puzzled her that he wouldn't utter a word - this was very unlike him. _Heh, it's only been a day and I think it's not like him to talk? I'm going way in over my head . . . Maybe he's just ignoring us . . ._

Gracefully picking up his chopsticks he placed the chopsticks to a piece of the fish's flesh, tearing it apart from the rest as he brought a small portion to his mouth. Ignoring the stares from the Higurashi household he placed the fish inside his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. The Higurashis' waited for an reaction of dislike or like though none came, Sesshoumaru was unnaturally expressionless.

_Well . . . So much for an reaction . . ._

Kagome looked to her mother and smiled, trying to mouth to her that the taiyoukai truly did like her cooking. Mrs. Higurashi smiled back, surprisingly she didn't look irked at all. At times, Kagome wondered how her mother dealt with men like Sesshoumaru, it made her think that her mother had her fair share of expressionless beings.

-----

"I'm assuming everything is going smoothly?" A tall, dark figure walked across the sand strewn forest sea floor. His bright green eyes looked at the bowed creature before him. "Have you done what I've asked of you?"

"Yes, my Lord. I did everything exactly the way you wanted me to."

"Tell me. Why is it that you think this Inuyasha a good choice?"

"Well, my Lord, he is quite the nitwit and brash at best. He'll never suspect something of this sort to reach the kingdom, you'll soon have what you've always desired." In this instance the words suddenly took on a different face as the youkai spoke. "Also, I find you very gifted having the ability to live on land and sea."

"Such flattery is welcomed, but don't expect me to let you rise up higher among my ranks. Remember what you are."

"Yes, my Lord. I want nothing more than to simply please you."

To be continued!


	7. VII: Devotion

Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to own the characters they all belong to Rumiko Takahashi, not me.

A/N: This chapter literally wrote itself, though it came out slowly. A few curse words are present in this chapter, please don't flame me about it. Read and review, I love getting feedback! ;-D

A Gap Across Time

VII: Devotion

"Wait a minute, Inuyasha, aren't you going to go talk to Kaede about the well?" Shippou interrupted. He was obviously mad that Inuyasha suddenly took an interest in his former lover over Kagome. "She did tell you to go to her yourself."

"Don't worry about it," was the annoyed response of the hanyou.

"Don't worry about it? How can you say that knowing that Kagome is over there on the other side with your brother!" Shippou retorted angrily. Inuyasha simply snorted in reply to the bristling kid youkai. "I expected more out of you, Inuyasha! You go running back to her when she shows up, I just knew you were like that! You . . . you two-timer!"

"Hey! I never said I was a two-timer!" Inuyasha's face had gone completely red as the others looked at him. It was rather embarrassing, but at the current moment he hadn't the willpower to control what was happening to his cheeks. "Shippou, shut your yap or I'll do it for you!"

"Now, now, no need to argue," Miroku tried to say as calmly as possible over all the shouting.

"Shouldn't you be off, Inuyasha?" Sango added. She hastily snagged Shippou and clamped a hand over his impeccable mouth. She gave him a gentle squeeze when he tried to pry her hand away. "I'm pretty sure Tsume and Kikyou wouldn't be pleased to keep waiting."

"All right."

"Inuyasha," Kikyou said. Upon hearing his name addressed by her Inuyasha immediately looked at her. "If . . . if you're willing to come with us, please sign the parchment that Tsume has brought with her."

"Why would he need to sign something?" Miroku asked.

"For recorded documentation, of course; we need proof that Inuyasha has indeed agreed to this. Going back without anything will automatically make me a liar." Tsume looked to Shippou held within Sango's arms, and then to Inuyasha as she decidedly changed the subject. "I overheard you talking about someone named Kaede, was there something important you had to do with her?"

"No, it was nothing," Inuyasha reached out a hand, "now let me see that parchment." Tsume passed it to him. Inuyasha wasted no time in tearing away the blue ribbon that tied the parchment together. Written on the somewhat brittle paper was large green words that were stating his agreement to the deal, and that he devoted himself to following through with it until his half-brother returned. He looked up when the sparrow youkai handed him a feathered pen.

**INUYASHA.**

"There, the parchment has been signed, Inuyasha. Ready to go?" Tsume asked jovially.

"Hold it, what about my companions? Can they come, too?" Tsume shook her head. Miroku and Sango exchanged confused glances and shrugged. "Keh, and why the hell not?"

"Humans aren't allowed, your little youkai friend here," she pointed a clawed hand to Shippou, "may come with us, although the other two must remain behind."

"That's fine with us," Miroku spoke up. "Sango and I can keep an eye out for Naraku here. You two go on ahead. Let go of Shippou, Sango." She complied.

"Now then, let's be off," Tsume persisted. "It's best to arrive there before the sun sets."

When Inuyasha and Shippou had disappeared through the dense shrubs with Kikyou and Tsume, both Miroku and Sango glanced at each other once more and sighed. Shippou spoke volumes of truth, although it appeared Inuyasha was needed elsewhere at the moment. They thought it was best that he dealt with taking care of the kingdom instead of going in after Kagome. The latter of the two choices was more preferable however much they thought the first was more important.

"I think it was a good idea that Shippou went with him," Sango noted, almost laughing at the prospect.

"I agree. With him around, perhaps he won't be so reckless, eh?" Miroku added.

-----

As they walked, Shippou never took his eyes off of the shady-looking sparrow youkai. He couldn't exactly say that she was a bad guy, though he had his own suspicions about her. Kikyou, too, had been watching her as well since she felt somewhat uneasy also. What Tsume promised to her - it seemed too good to be true.

_Will she be able to keep her promise to me? If not, I was a foolish woman to believe her then. A woman who was clinging onto hope to earn nothing in the end for her services._

-----

Back at the kingdom all the youkai were restless. Tension was in the air - they had all heard about their Lord's younger brother's eventual arrival here. He was going to partake in the role as a ruler, they all didn't know what to expect from the younger sibling of the dog brothers. Different things about the youkai was spread wide and far amongst themselves as everyone wondered how he looked and acted like. Things were alive and colorful within the castle's walls as servants, soldiers and counselors alike scurried about the place to make it presentable to the incoming substitute ruler.

As usual, Rin was genially happy that she'd get to meet someone new. Matter it be a youkai, human, or creature, she was always ecstatic to give them a warm welcome.

"Jaken, I've heard of Inuyasha before but Lord Sesshoumaru had never described him to me. How is he like? And what does he look like?" Rin toddled after the toad as she awaited him for answers. "Tell me, tell me, tell me."

"Oh, be quiet, Rin! Why would you care about such things?" Rin shrugged. "Inuyasha . . . I mean, Lord Inuyasha . . ." the words were rather stiff coming out of his mouth, since he wasn't liking the fact that he'd have to address the hanyou that way once he arrived. ". . . could care less whether you liked him or not. He's loud, annoying and self-centered."

"Is that all?"

"That is all I'm going to tell you."

"Hmmm, anyways, I'd really like to give him a warm welcome! Do you think he'd mind if I gave him a hug?" Jaken halted in his steps as he gave Rin a flabbergasted look, his beady yellow eyes growing wide. "What? I'm sure he wouldn't mind, right?"

"Rin, you stupid child!" The girl cringed at the harsh reprimand by the toad youkai. "Inu-- Lord Inuyasha wouldn't dare let you lay a finger on him! I distinctly remember seeing him dislike the concept of human contact such as a hug! Your stupid ideas and reasons will get you killed one day! Mock my words, Rin!"

As Rin and Jaken duke it out back and forth, Kikoku, the badger youkai leader and one of many counselors of the armed forces began to prepare his troops for the arrival of Inuyasha. Like rigid statues each soldier was expected to stand up to their full height, no slouching, no wandering eyes, and least of all, no sighing. It was a sign of disrespect to a commander when one of his soldiers displayed such a sound of boredom, tiredness and so forth. Kikoku was very strict when it came to the discipline of the men that were under his wing - they knew very well what was in store for them if they were to misbehave or disobey their leader.

"Attention!" All the soldiers faced forward and got into their positions as Kikoku watched. "Formation five, line seven, march forth and then stop!" Footsteps could be heard echoing off the walls as the men pertaining to the barked commands marched briefly. "Salute!" Arms were raised. "Good, very good, everyone. However, Mizakata," a certain bug youkai tensed, "you were a little off. I'll let you slide just this once due to the short amount of time we have until the Lord Sesshoumaru's brother's arrival. Consider yourself lucky.

"T-thank you, Sir!" Mizakata shouted.

_Imbeciles. If keeping up a orderly position is too hard for them then what kind of soldiers would I even be training? Much more practice is needed before they all get it right._

To the northern section of the tower the Minister of Affairs and his many counselors were busy preparing the banquet that was to be held for Inuyasha. Saiai went about the process of checking things over in the kitchen as servants and counselors alike were busy cooking, chopping, frying, broiling and so forth. He stood tall and proud as his one uncovered red colored eye busied itself with inspections.

"Saiai, I've finished chopping the onions. Shall they be tossed in with the broth now?" a servant asked.

"No, not yet. Wait for the carrots as well."

"Yes, Sir." The servant scurried off to talk to another counselor as more tasks were currently at hand.

_So much noise, so many activities going on at once. I remember quite well how Lord Sesshoumaru was like when he was around inside the kitchen inspecting cooking wares, food supplies, and such. It was quite a daunting task for him. Wherever he is now I do hope he is eating well and gets enough needed rest. Lord Sesshoumaru, you can never know how deeply upset I am that you are not here to run the place. I never thought I'd miss the solitary man that you are, your presence here seems to bring a calm to many who would never willingly admit it, unless they held the greatest feelings of devotion towards you._

Saiai hadn't the time to dwell on such things when Rin approached him. He hadn't noticed that she was beside him until her tiny hands groped at his blood colored robes to get his attention. He looked down at her sweetly.

"Yes, Rin?"

"Have you seen Jaken?" she asked.

"Jaken?" He gave her a perplexed look. "Not that I know of. Did he happen to pass by here?" Rin shrugged and sighed dejectedly. "Is there a reason you need to see him?"

"Not really, he was playing with me and when I turned my back for a moment he vanished. It was like he disappeared into thin air." Rin spread out her arms for emphasis as she explained to the tall tree youkai what she was describing. Sticking out her tongue thoughtfully, she added, "Surin is busy at the moment so I don't want to bother her either. And I'm sure Jaken couldn't have gone too far."

Saiai glanced up when something caught his eye. A small, stubby green webbed foot stuck out from under a nearby table - he almost laughed at the sight but remained tight-lipped. Jaken would have been angry with him if he was to give away his hideaway spot to the child. Looking back down at Rin he used his one eye to steer her towards the table that the toad youkai was hiding underneath. The girl kneeled down and poked at the stubby foot with one finger, it wriggled around for a moment before disappearing underneath the clothed table completely. A few seconds later a head popped out.

"Jaken!" Rin squealed, mud brown eyes dancing with delight. "I've finally found you!"

"R-Rin! How did you find me?"

"That's a secret! Come on, silly, we're not done with our game yet!" Rin yanked Jaken by the hand and pulled him out from under the table. Saiai watched with amused eyes as Rin and Jaken hobbled off to some other corner of the palace to play in. Perhaps somewhere less noisy and crowded.

-----

"Are we almost there yet?" Inuyasha asked, much like a whiny child would have done.

"It's not much farther now, just beyond those hills you'll be able to see the peak of it," Tsume explained. Shippou smirked when Inuyasha gave the sparrow youkai a look of disbelief, really, Inuyasha did appear childish in every way. "No need for such gawking, Inuyasha, you're making a fool out of yourself. I can see why Lord Sesshoumaru isn't very fond of you."

"Keh!" Inuyasha snarled. "I don't give a damn what he thinks of me, I don't like his ass either!"

Shippou looked to Kikyou as she watched Inuyasha go on one of his many tyrant-like tirades. It appeared like Inuyasha had forgotten she was even walking alongside him since he was too worked up to even notice at this point. Not really wanting to interrupt Inuyasha, Shippou decided to play it safe by letting the hanyou ramble on and on and on . . . If he thought about it, it seemed like Inuyasha was never going to shut up.

"Inuyasha . . ."

"What, little squirt!" Inuyasha turned towards him so fast that Shippou was almost knocked over by the artificial wind he had created. "Can't--"

"Ahem . . . We're almost there so can you be quiet for just a minute?" he asked. Shippou looked to Kikyou and Tsume, Inuyasha followed suit. He really did forget that Kikyou came along because it was instantaneous at how fast Inuyasha blushed, mumbled a apology that sounded like something else in it's entirety, and close his mouth. "Much better."

"Hmph."

Inuyasha, Kikyou and Shippou were surprised at how large the actual palace really was compared to what each one thought of what it was like. The gates alone were quite impressive with their massive earthy look and large emblazoned cherry blossom carvings that marked the family crest. Tsume walked forward while she instructed the others to stand behind her in wait.

"Open the gates, Lord Inuyasha has arrived!" Tsume announced.

_Lord? Since when did I become a Lord?_

Creaking sounds could be heard when the gates were pulled apart. It took less than ten seconds before the gates were opened all the way. Tsume walked forward and turned around for a moment to signal to the others to follow behind her. If they thought the outside was magnificent, the inside was even better. Inuyasha had no idea that his brother was living in such luxury while he roamed about the forest like a wild animal, in which he didn't mind at all since he preferred the outdoors more than anything else. Even as a child he was that way. Inuyasha stopped walking when Tsume held out a hand towards him, he looked down at it in a confused manner.

"Why are you showing me your hand?" he asked.

"Place yours on top of mine when I say, 'Lord Inuyasha has come, please file out and greet him'."

"What the hell . . .?" Inuyasha was really confused.

"Just do it, Inuyasha," Shippou supplied, tired of hanyou's uncooperative behavior thus far. "The sooner you get this done the sooner we'll get inside."

"I never imagined Lord Sesshoumaru having such a huge home," Kikyou suddenly said. All eyes turned to look at her. "It does seem rather inviting, please, Inuyasha, if your little friend here would like to get inside then I suggest you go through with the opening ceremony, if that's what you people call it here." Inuyasha sweat dropped. "No matter how great your hate towards your brother, you surely must feel some sort of devotion to this palace. It did once belong to your father."

"I feel nothing of the sort. I never did and I never will."

"Get ready," Tsume reminded him.

An entourage of youkai filed out when Tsume summoned them with what she said. "Lord Inuyasha has come, please file out and greet him!" She lifted a arm towards him and waited for him to place his hand on top of hers.

"Wow . . ."

Shippou marveled at how many youkai came cluttering out of the main entryway to the palace. Based upon rank certain youkai stood in certain parts of the grassy platform as they endlessly poured out of the doorway. It was a spectacular sight for the little fox youkai. The Minister of Affairs, Warfare, and Support stood at the very head of the many troops of creatures lining the palace wall in the center. The counselors stood right behind them, Tsume, too, had gone off to join them in their welcoming ceremony. The rest that stood behind the counselors were the servants and soldiers. Each youkai stood ready and at attention; all eyes fixed on a certain silver haired individual. Inuyasha was astounded by it all - it was hard to believe that he was going to watch over something as large as this and keep an eye on all these youkai standing before him.

_Life is gonna be interesting here. Very interesting._

"Lord Inuyasha," all the youkai chorused in perfect unison, "we welcome you to the palace of the Taisho household!"

"Wow, what a nice welcome greeting," Shippou noted.

Inuyasha noticed a certain individual when he started to break away from the crowd to come towards him. He'd already seen this youkai many times before in the past so he knew perfectly well who it was: Saiai. The tree youkai bent down and whispered something into the hanyou's ear before standing silently beside him. Unsure of what Saiai exactly meant Inuyasha swished his hand in the air - all at once the youkai started to file back into the palace. Kikyou's eyes never left Tsume when she watched her walk through the doorway, the only reason she lost her sight of her was because she walked inside. She only hoped that Tsume was waiting for her by the door.

_Don't forget what you promised me, Tsume. _

"Well now, shall we all go inside?" Saiai invited. They all nodded. "Before you go about being the Lord, Inuyasha, there will be plenty of things you need to learn."

"Like what?"

"Your attire for one, must be changed." Inuyasha looked down at the fire's rat robe he was wearing and frowned. "The Lord of the palace never wears clothing that is all of one color unless it was sleepwear. Secondly, the way you speak, Lord Inuyasha, that needs some work. Third, there are many meetings that must be attended during certain intervals of the month, you mustn't be late or show any signs of disinterest when you're discussing something with the Ministers of the palace. There are only three Ministers so the meetings will never be too long or too short. The three that your brother has decided to keep are the Minister of Affairs, Minister of Warfare, and Minsiter of Support.

_You mean there were literally more than three to begin with! What the hell kind of a place is this! Was it overrun by Ministers of everything you can think of?_

"Contracts, treaties, land control, meetings with other Lords of other lands and such will also need careful attention. Lest I say they're the most important in high regards to anything else. Now that I've explained the rules, are there any questions, Lord Inuyasha?"

_He better be kidding . . . He listed off so much shit that I think my head was going to explode from it all if he kept on rambling nonsense to me!_ _Questions, questios, questions . . . I've got plenty!_

"It makes me wonder how the hell my brother can standing doing this on a regulary basis. The things you listed off were enough to drive someone like me mad in a couple of days let alone a week," Inuyasha said. Saiai merely smiled and said nothing. "First off, once I enter the palace what will be expected of me from everyone?"

"As of now there is nothing expected from you since you'd need to begin your training right away. Katari, Aizuna, Kikoku, Tsume, and myself will be teaching you things throughout the course of roughly two weeks." A twinkle came to the red-eyed tree youkai. "Perhaps by then you've would have learned everything you need to know about the palace and what everyone expects from you, Lord Inuyasha."

". . . . . . . ."

To be continued!


	8. VIII: Understatement

Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to own the characters they all belong to Rumiko Takahashi, not me.

A/N: Please review because my **motivation bar **is going down for this story. If you all want more chapters please review. Thank you. XD

A Gap Across Time

VIII: Understatement

Kagome was surprised that a week had already gone by that Sesshoumaru had resided in her home with her family. It was rather strange that it didn't look like his wounds were healing at all - usually a demon's natural healing capabilities should have aided him into recovering faster. Sesshoumaru's wounds were odd indeed, Kagome could only guess what really happened to the taiyoukai before he ended up on this side of the well. Alas, if only she could get answers from the silent Demon Lord.

"I'm going to go to Hiruko's birthday party," Kagome announced, bowing to her mother and younger sibling, "I promised her that I'd go so it'd be rude to decline now. Please watch over Sesshoumaru for me while I'm gone. I'll come home as soon as possible."

"It's quite all right, honey, stay there as long as you like and enjoy the party," her mother told her.

_But it's hard not to think of him when he's like this though . . ._

"Well then, I'll be seeing myself out the door!" Kagome bowed one last time before exiting the house and hopping on her bike. "Bye!"

"Bye!" Souta called after her.

"Have a good time!" Mrs. Higurashi said.

_Humans, must they be so loud? I can hear them from this puny room, they have no sense of peace and quiet. _Sesshoumaru looked down at himself. _My body still refuses to heal; this is troublesome._

The persistent pain he was feeling without Kagome's touch to soothe it was annoying him. Yet, nothing could be done about it since the girl was no longer home.

-----

"Look at all the food, Inuyasha, I bet this could feed a whole horde of you if there were that many!" Shippou remarked.

Inuyasha squinted his eyes at him, one eyebrow twitching out of irritation. "Are you trying to say that I eat a lot?" Shippou smugly shrugged. "Listen here, pipsqueak, one more word out of you and I'll have the guards toss you into a cell," Shippou merely laughed, "I mean it."

"Eep!"

"Heh, you better be scared."

"Now, now, Inuyasha, no need to be so rude to a fellow companion," Saiai reprimanded. Inuyasha turned on him, giving the tree youkai his best scowl; Shippou watched with amused interest. "More overly, enjoy this meal, eat however way you like because after today you will need to learn proper manners."

"This is going to be good seeing you struggle to be prim and proper!" Shippou squealed in delight.

Saiai looked to the demon child, he was only making things much more worse for himself by provoking the hanyou further. It wasn't in his place to order him around so he remained silent as Shippou lashed out at Inuyasha. Watching them argue was a new thing for the tree youkai - sure, he'd seen arguments before, but between his Lord's younger brother and his friend their argument was much more lively. Needless to say, Saiai hadn't laughed as heartily as he did now in a good while. Both Shippou and Inuyasha turned to look at him, obviously they were confused.

"What's so funny?" Inuyasha asked.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh at you, my Lord. Watching you and your little friend argue seemed rather pleasing."

"Pleasing?" Inuyasha was confused by what Saiai was trying to explain. "Are you some kind of nutcase or something?" Saiai immediately ceased his howling and looked seriously at his new Lord. "Did my brother subject weird youkai like you to work under him? I knew he was a loony himself!"

Saiai blushed - it looked like he was tainting his real Lord's ego.

_Inuyasha can be so stupid sometimes._

Shippou felt it was time he intervened. "He's not a lunatic, you're just too dense to understand anything your puny brain can't handle." The fox child quickly ducked when Inuyasha tried to hit him squarely on the head; Shippou stuck his tongue out at him and scooted off his seat to the floor. "Let me get this straight, Saiai was laughing at us because he doesn't normally see two people argue like the way we do, I suppose. Living in a place like this could only mean that disputes about land, partnerships, and contracts are heralded here. Or at least things like that, aren't I right?" Shippou looked to the tall youkai standing not too far from him.

"Y-yes . . ." Saiai even went so far as to look meekly at Inuyasha.

"Keh, whatever."

By the time the two companions were done eating pretty much everything on the table had been cleared. They even went so far as to fight over some of the food that was served, Saiai was amazed by how much the both of them could eat in one sitting. Letting out a loud belch that reached several perimeters around the palace Inuyasha could care less what the others saw him as. Saiai grimaced at the lack of manners Inuyasha possessed - it could only mean he and the other counselors needed to work harder with this new Lord of theirs. Tsume, just then, decided that she show up and explain a thing or two about proper etiquette.

"Lord Inuyasha, was that you who belched so loudly?" Inuyasha craned his head at her; giving her a look that clearly said, 'so, what if I was?' To prove that he didn't care he shifted his diner chair back, and lifted both of his feet onto the table in a lazy manner. Tsume gasped at such a sight; she was thoroughly disgusted already with Inuyasha's immature behavior. "Please refrain from doing such foul actions, the Lord of this palace would--"

"Look here, I'm the Lord now so I can do whatever I want for tonight, okay? Our training or whatever you call it for proper etiquette can start tomorrow so lay off." _Geez, these youkai are a bunch of stiff-wads that need to get out more. That annoying sparrow youkai could sure use more sun, I've even seen some of her own kind more tan than she is now. _He could see Tsume's expression go from anger to subtle repulsion. "Now that I've gotten that across leave me be, I have the rest of the night to myself."

Tsume turned on her heels and stalked off. Saiai quickly bowed before following after her.

"Did you have to be so mean, Inuyasha?" Shippou remarked more than asked.

"You don't know anything so shut up."

"No, you shut up. You're the one who doesn't know anything."

They went back and forth like this for a long while until a nearby guard politely told them that they've awoken some of the guards that were sleeping several hallways down. Shippou apologized while Inuyasha ignored the guard and let the little fox youkai cover for the both of them.

"We're really sorry. I'm assuming their shifts will begin soon, we didn't mean to wake them up." Shippou bowed over and over. "We--"

"Stop already, idiot." Shippou glared at Inuyasha. "He's the subordinate so stop talking to him."

The soldier Shippou was speaking to looked at Inuyasha none too friendly - he was punctually disliking Inuyasha all the more as each minute progressed. Lord Sesshoumaru was in some ways not too different than his younger sibling, but some of their other differences were so distinct that it was hard not to notice them right away. Shippou knew then that Inuyasha was heading down the path of hatred lane because it was already so obvious that this one soldier, and perhaps many others did not like their new substituted Lord.

_Does he ever stop to think before he opens his mouth? _Looking at he odds Shippou merely shrugged to himself. _Inuyasha never was the type to think before he spoke. This had some vantage points, and yet it also had it's downfalls._

-----

It wasn't surprising; Tsume was not waiting for her by the door, instead she was lead somewhere by another youkai she had no adherence to whatsoever.

Out on another section of the palace Kikyou was lead by a female youkai servant to a elaborately decorated room melded in with scented flowers and herbs. It was spacious and housed a great many dressers and a large mirror hung to one side, with a large canopied bed veiled with violet sheets. Kikyou walked towards the bed to feel the soft material of the covering slip through her fingers; everything was of fine quality here.

"This room is beautiful," she breathed out.

"Lady Rin had it specifically made this way for female guests such as yourself," the youkai told her. "She has great tastes, doesn't she?"

"This Lady Rin you speak of, is she the mistress of this palace?" The female youkai laughed and shook her head, Kikyou was rather perplexed by her reaction. "Dare you say Lord Sesshoumaru is alone?"

The female youkai nodded. "Yes, he is. And please do let me introduce myself, my name is Surin and I am the caretaker of Lady Rin, you see, she is nothing more but a mere child."

"I see." _Lord Sesshoumaru is housing a child here at his palace? Never in a million years did I believe I'd see the day he took someone in, letting that person live with him here. She must be a very special child. _"Lady Rin, is she a human child or a youkai?"

"Human."

"Human . . ." Surin looked at Kikyou worriedly: she could only wonder what the young woman was thinking about. ". . . That's very interesting. Has it been a idle passing that Lord Sesshoumaru pick up this human girl you call Rin to live here with him?" The swan youkai didn't say anything but she never let her eyes leave the woman before her. "I'd like to meet her sometime. Would that be all right?"

"Oh, of course, Lady Rin loves company! Especially if it's around other girls like herself, it's a sad fate that while living here she hardly sees another human soul around. Still, it does not bother her that she is surrounded by youkai like us," Surin stopped to smile warmly at the thought before continuing, taking on a notion of her Lord, "her cheery attitude is not what Lord Sesshoumaru normally likes, but if he hasn't tossed her away after all this time, then I know that he cares for her deeply. Whether he'll ever admit it or not."

_That human girl has the power to change him? Absurd._

"Surin," Kikyou began, "I may be a woman but I am no longer alive. I dwell with the dead." She half expected her to be shocked and half expected her to show some sign of disinterest, but none came. "Will it bother Lady Rin to converse and spend time with someone such as me?"

"Hardly." _Rin will like you all the same: whether you be a youkai, a wandering soul, a human man or woman, small or big, it's all the same to her._

Kikyou actually smiled and sat down on the large bed provided for her. Her mud brown eyes wandered to the pillows situated not too far from her; it looked so inviting to lay down and simply sleep. Surin having seemed to have caught onto this, so she hurriedly excused herself before the dead priestess could even utter a single word. All was silent when she was left alone inside the room. It was strange that she now noticed things she didn't notice before - there were new sounds, smells, and sights to be seen.

_This place almost reminds me of sacred ground . . . That child does have good taste indeed. It'd be quite intriguing to meet her._

-----

Kagome looked at the large, black clock hanging on Hiruko's living room wall every couple of minutes. It appeared like she couldn't keep the taiyoukai out of her mind. _Why do I keep thinking about him? It's not like he's cast a spell over me or anything . . . His wounds should be all right, right? When I left he seemed to be fine, but then again he always looked like that. Should I go home now? No, I shouldn't yet, besides it's only been an hour. Come on, Kagome, clear up your mind of him. _Kagome looked back at her friends as she tried to persuade herself to forget about him, even if it was just for a while.

"Kagome, are you all right? You seem a bit distracted," Hiruko told her.

"Oh, uh, I'm not distracted. I was just thinking how great this party has been so far," she looked to the other girls gathered round the living room, "isn't this party great, guys?" They all nodded. "This party is really great; let's continue on."

Hiruko lightly frowned. She wasn't going to be easily fooled - something was bothering Kagome despite the fact that she tried to hide it. "All right, then." She looked at the candy land game board in front of her. "Who's turn is it now? I lost track."

"It was me." A girl with short black hair picked up the two dice and juggled them within her palm before letting them fall onto the candy land game board with a soft thud. "Awesome, I rolled exactly twelve!" The other girls groaned. "I'm almost too damn lucky!"

"You're going to win, Asa, it's so obvious with the way you roll the dice," another girl said.

Even as Kagome watched she wasn't really focusing on the game no matter how hard she tried. It became quite annoying. _What's wrong with me? _Standing up, she excused herself to go use the restroom. Closing the bathroom door quietly behind her Kagome stared at herself in the mirror while she leaned back against the door. Her hands were tucked behind her securely. She could recall the other day when she bathed the Demon Lord; all over again nostalgia was plaguing her mind. _I've never felt so worried about someone like him before . . . _Kagome nearly yelped when she heard someone speak on the other side of the bathroom door - it was Hiruko.

"Are you all right in there?" her friend inquired of her.

"I'm okay."

"No really, Kagome, you can tell me if something's bothering you," her friend continued.

_It's her birthday. I don't want to ruin anything for her. _

"I am fine, Hiruko. Stop being such a worrywart because you're starting to sound like my mother." Kagome waited for a response, and yet when none came she was starting to wonder if Hiruko was still on the other side of the door. She placed her ear close and tried to listen for sounds on the other end. "Hiruko, are you still there?" No response. "Hiruko?"

Deciding that she didn't want to stay inside the bathroom any longer she opened the door only to have Hiruko nearly pummel her to the floor. Rather dazed she automatically reached out an arm to try and grab a hold of anything that could give her some sense of balance - her arm met nothing but air. Hiruko laughed as she then helped her friend to her feet and dusted off the front of her shirt and skirt for her.

"Hahaha, you should have seen the look on your face, Kagome!" Hiruko teased.

"Well, you did surprise me after all."

"Now I like you the way you are." Kagome gave Hiruko a funny look. "What I'm trying to say is that the frown I'd seen earlier on your face is gone, and you look better this way without it. Really now, if something is troubling you it won't hurt my feelings or be a bother if you tell me what it was." Hiruko saw the hesitant look on the other girl's face. "Is it boy trouble?" Kagome flushed and slapped both of her hands to her cheeks. Hiruko gave her a knowing smile. "A-hah! I knew it. It is boy trouble, so tell me who it is. Is he cute, rude, nice, short, or tall?"

"Err . . . I'm not sure how I should describe him, Hiruko . . ." _Sesshoumaru is so many things at once, and yet he's like not so many things at once. Uh . . . Hmmm, what am I saying? I'm only confusing myself! _"He's mean I guess and . . ."

"And?" Hiruko urged.

Kagome snapped her head up then and looked at her friend seriously. "Look Hiruko, today is your birthday so let's go enjoy it instead of talking about me. I'm sure the other girls are waiting for us out in the living room. And besides we haven't eaten your birthday cake yet, or did you forget?"

"Forget? Never, I would never forget about my own birthday cake!" Hiruko roared playfully. "You did have a point. Yeah, let's go back to the others."

By the time Kagome left Hiruko's birthday party it was already dark outside, but it was still bright enough that the street lamps were not yet turned on. Feeling the cool air hitting her face she shivered and rubbed her arms against her body as she tried to circulate heat through them. All the while that she was doing this her mind kept drifting to the silver haired taiyoukai residing in her home - in fact he had been on her mind the whole time that she was at her friend's birthday party. It made her wonder why she kept thinking about him so much when she only left her house for a couple of hours for some enjoyment time.

Back at home Mrs. Higurashi was busy preparing dinner for the Demon Lord. She wasn't sure what types of food he liked to eat so she decided to make a dish that she knew Kagome loved as a child. It was miso soup with brussel sprouts sprinkled with a lot of black pepper and green onions. Aside from this lone dish she also made honey glazed beef and a tofu sandwich which was stuffed with greens. To finish all this off she also set a bowl of steaming rice beside the rest of the food.

"Souta, please take this to Sesshoumaru."

Souta gave his mom a stupefied glare. "Grandpa told me to keep my distance and watch what I do around him . . . I don't want to take that up to him. Grandpa told me that he tried to kill him and if it wasn't for Kagome he would have been dead!"

"Don't be silly, Souta, I'm sure he won't hurt you."

"But mom--"

Mrs. Higurashi gave her son a stern glare. "Don't be difficult, Souta. The food is going to get cold if you don't let him eat it soon." She placed both of her hands by her hips and tapped one foot lightly on the ground as she waited for Souta to do as he was asked. "I'm waiting."

"F-fine . . ."

Souta walked up to the platter full of food and utensils warily - he gave his mother a furtive glance before taking the tray and steeping towards the stairway. Even as he placed one foot on the stair step he could feel his mother's eyes watching him from behind. He knew she was making sure that he brought it up to the taiyoukai whether he was going to be skinned alive by him or not. This little conviction wasn't helping Souta at all as he thought about the things the great Demon Lord could do to torture him despite the fact that he was injured.

_I better not be dead by the time I get there!_

Taking one slow step after another Souta tried his best to forestall the inevitable - he was going to have to face Sesshoumaru. The taiyoukai looked his way when he gingerly opened the bedroom door with a trembling hand and poked his head inside. The look on the Demon Lord's face was not that of murderous intent, but that of curious suspicion. Stepping inside the room fully Souta tried his best to smile and resist the urge to run away right there and then.

"What human food have you brought me?" Sesshoumaru asked, quickly peering at the contents within their separate bowls.

Souta waited a moment before he responded. "My mom made it . . . I don't know what it is, but whatever she makes tastes really good. I'm sure you won't mind the flavor."

"Hmmm . . ."

_Why is he staring at the food like that? What I wouldn't give right now to trade places with Kagome! How can she not be scared of this guy, he's so stony and creepy at the same time! I hope he doesn't kill me!_

"Well, ah, I'll be going."

"Hold it." Souta froze at the sound of the taiyoukai's voice, although his back remained facing the Demon Lord he was listening intently to what he had to say. "Turn around, address me with your front side, not your backside."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Souta quickly turned around and stiffly bowed; he was getting more fidgety by the second.

_He's trembling. _

"Where is that ignorant sister of yours?"

It wasn't that he didn't know where she went because he heard her and her family talking loudly before she left - it was just the matter of asking to relieve the tension the child was feeling around him. In some ways he was like Rin, only a boy counterpart of her.

"Kagome?" Sesshoumaru made no notion to reply. "She's not home . . . yet. Did you need her for something?" Still, the Demon Lord did not reply. Souta felt his confidence returning as he continued to watch the silent taiyoukai; the thought of getting killed was dissipating. "She went to a friend's party, but don't worry she should be back anytime now because I'm sure she's worried about you."

Sesshoumaru's brows furrowed together at such a thought.

_Ridiculous._

To be continued!


	9. IX: Not Knowing Can Be Good

Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to own the characters they all belong to Rumiko Takahashi, not me.

A/N: I don't know who the child of Kagome's grandpa is so I'll make her father the son. If he is supposedly Kagome's mom's father I am terribly sorry for the mix-up, but I will not change it if that were the case. Without further ado, here is the next chapter. Please do review . . . **I need motivation**.

A Gap Across Time

IX: Not Knowing Can Be Good

"Hiraikotsu!"

Miroku watched as Sango threw her oversized boomerang at the oncoming demon. He let out a low whistle when the youkai was cleanly sheathed in half by the powerful weapon. Miroku was supposedly leaning against a tree at the time whilst watching the demon exterminator eliminate demons when one sprung upon him from behind. With a loud wail he fell to the forest floor trying with all his might to keep the demon's large teeth at bay from tearing away at his delicate flesh.

"Sango," he grunted, "I could use a little help here!"

Sango merely rolled her eyes and redirected her weapon at the demon attacking her companion. He breathed a sigh of relief and stood up to dust himself off after the youkai was killed. "Thank you, Sango." She simply rolled her eyes again. Miroku noticed her cold gestures. "Why are you being so--"

"So cold?" she finished for him. He could do little more than nod stupidly. "Well, first off you've been of little to no help lately, and I can say right now that you're using me. I've been doing all the fighting by myself alongside with Kirara's help."

The little cat demon meowed at being acknowledged.

"Using you?" Miroku looked hurt by her accusation. "I am not using you; you've gotten it all wrong."

"Really, now?"

Miroku couldn't think up of a single thing to back himself up with so he said whatever came to his mind. "Hmmm, perhaps I have been as of late. Please do let me explain because I know that you're hurt due to the fact that you believe I'd use you and do nothing in return for your services . . ." The monk went silent for a moment as he tried to gather his thoughts. ". . . Without further ado, I've been looking deeply into things that have been happening around us recently."

"What do you mean?" Sango asked. _Is he trying to worm his way out of this . . .?_

"Demons have been showing up around this area quite frequently now. Doesn't that stir up your curiosity?"

Sango placed one hand on her chin while her other went across her waist to support her upraised elbow. Kirara, who was sitting on her shoulder shifted a little bit so she could get better cushioning from her master. _Miroku is right. I suspect that something must not be right around here. _"What you're saying seems to be the truth . . . we have been killing a lot more demons, but I hadn't thought it was strange though."

"Precisely."

". . . About demons, I wonder how Inuyasha and Shippou are doing."

Miroku let out a low chuckle, which in turn, made Sango glare at him. "Knowing those two they're probably constantly arguing due to Inuyasha's stupidity that could rival even the most stubborn youkai. It goes to show that it was a good idea we told Shippou to go along though, so he can keep an eye on Inuyasha."

"That wasn't the only thing that worries me. I also wonder how Kagome is faring with Sesshoumaru on her end of the well." Sango developed a pensive look as Miroku watched her. "Maybe we should go to Kaede's place for a while. The increase in demons and the calamity that we're probably foreseeing should be dealt with as soon as possible."

"Calamity, huh?" _Maybe we're better off not knowing._

"Come on! We have no time to waste!" Sango jumped atop Kirara's transformed self and waited for Miroku to accompany her.

-----

Kagome stopped rubbing her arms when she accidentally caused herself to feel pain from her healing palm. She looked at the bandaged hand in earnest, and wondered why none of her friends questioned her about it at the birthday party. _Kagome, why would you want them to ask you about it! You should be glad that they didn't! _Her eyes traveled to the darkened sky as she stared at it for a long while. She thought it was strange that even though it was the middle of summer there'd be nights where it was considerably chilly. Just then a light buzzing noise floated across her senses, and thus, for that brief moment she saw the streetlights flicker and then settle as their light illuminated everything and anything that was close enough - she was standing directly underneath one. A hint of silver invaded her thoughts. _I wonder how Sesshoumaru is doing._

Determined to get home and tend to the arrogant taiyoukai Kagome quickened her pace as she literally ran down the last block towards her house. The bedroom light in her mother's room was on. She knew that Sesshoumaru was still awake; she could see two shadows silhouetted across the window's curtains within the room - one she knew belonged to Sesshoumaru, but the other it could have been her mother, brother, or grandpa.

_Who could be inside there with him? _

The doorbell rang when Kagome pushed a button with her finger, which was situated beside the front door. Kagome's grandpa was the one to answer it. He gave off a look of surprise when he saw his only granddaughter standing before him.

"Ah, Kagome, you're back!" She raised an eyebrow up at him. "Come quick, I think your mother is in trouble!"

Confused, Kagome asked, "trouble? What do you mean in trouble?"

"She's with that crazy demon! Souta was so scared out of his wits earlier that he came running down the steps after he was forced to serve food to him under the strict orders of your mother! Hurry, and come quick! I'm afraid you're the only one who can save her!"

_Talk about a drama queen. _There was little Kagome could do as she was towed along by her grandpa. His grip on her arm was frighteningly tight, and he was trembling so much that Kagome came to believe that her mother might actually be in trouble. Despite this she knew the taiyoukai wouldn't attack someone without a reason, and yet she knew he was a very dangerous being that shouldn't be dealt with lightly either. _Should I go with my own instincts or believe my grandpa? His hold on me makes me worry. I hope mom is all right . . ._

What greeted their eyes was not what either one of them was expecting. Kagome and her grandpa sweat dropped at the image before them. Mrs. Higurashi was actually humbly humming a nice tune as she changed Sesshoumaru's bandages - from the looks of it the silent Demon Lord appeared as if he didn't mind. Kagome wanted to slap her grandpa right on the side of the head for making her worry when everything was absolutely fine.

Mrs. Higurashi continued to humbly hum to herself as she continuously unrolled a roll of bandages. She didn't bother to look up until Kagome's grandpa let out a choked noise.

"Oh," she turned to greet the duo gawking at her, "welcome back, Kagome, how was the party?"

"It went great!" she quickly replied, and then abruptly turning towards her grandpa, she hissed, "you told me that she was in trouble! Don't make up lies like that to scare me!" _He definitely was too much of a drama queen sometimes._

"I thought she was in trouble," he defended. "After all, he is a dangerous being. I was taking precautions so you needn't yell at me. Your mother's husband, or more preferably my son, will be angry with me even in the afterlife if I let her get injured!"

_He has a point. _"But that isn't good enough of an excuse."

"Stop mumbling because I can still hear it," Sesshoumaru suddenly said. Both Kagome and her grandpa didn't notice that Sesshoumaru was staring at them this whole time. Kagome formed the word "oh" silently with her mouth while her grandpa shrunk back a little from the taiyoukai's intense gaze. They watched as he then turned to face Mrs. Higurashi. "That will be all now. I am fine."

"Are you sure?" She looked at his wound and frowned. "It doesn't seem to be healing at all . . . perhaps you might need professional help."

"Mom," Kagome intervened, "you know we can't do that."

Blinking, in a mildly surprised manner, Mrs. Higurashi asked, "why not, Kagome?"

Kagome looked to her mother and then to the taiyoukai, and then back at her mother again. _I feel as if I shouldn't say this . . . although I'm sure that Sesshoumaru wouldn't care one bit. I mean how can it possibly hurt someone like this by saying it? It's not like he wants to be human anyway. _"He's not human mom, or did you forget?"

"Not human . . . oh, yes, yes, that's right! I suppose I did forget for a moment."

For the briefest of moments Kagome and Sesshoumaru locked eyes and they raged on with a battle of who could out withstand the other. Beautiful amber-colored orbs stared down the subtle chocolate-brown ones; it was an easily known fact that the taiyoukai was going to win.

Sesshoumaru noticed the pained expression in the girl's eyes. _She seems to be hurt - why does her face convey such an image? _When Kagome looked away for the briefest of moments and then back at him again, he saw that her eyes now sparkled brightly with false cheeriness. _Why does she try to hide it?_

From across the room Kagome was wondering what the taiyoukai was thinking about. She knew he sensed something from her, but his expression was so blank that if she or anyone else tried to read his facial expression they wouldn't have been able to tell. _Well . . . for a second there I actually believed that Sesshoumaru hurt my mom. Seeing him the way he is now I really want to believe that he'd recover as well. Why, I wonder, why did he stay lodged in my mind throughout Hiruko's birthday party - even now he haunts me._

Tension was starting to build in the air and it was coming on quickly. It didn't ease until Souta made his appearance into the room.

"Mom, I brought more bandages like you requested," he said.

"Thank you, dear, you can place it right over there on the table." Souta's eyes traveled to the indicated spot as he walked towards the table. Mrs. Higurashi smiled warmly when she noticed that Souta was no longer afraid when he went near the taiyoukai. "It's good not seeing you tense up around him. That's a good sign."

"Mom!" Souta blushed a bright tomato red as he threw furtive glances at Sesshoumaru.

Everyone stood still and stayed silent for a good couple of seconds before their grandpa coughed lightly and excused himself from the suffocating room. This, in turn, caused a chain reaction, for their grandpa was followed by Souta and then Mrs. Higurashi as they each left the room. The only person remaining now was Kagome.

Not really expecting to say this at all, Sesshoumaru began, "you look troubled."

Surprised, Kagome blinked at him several times. "I do?" _Can he see right through me?_

"Don't question the obvious, woman," he replied.

Feeling her anger rising she forcefully retorted, "for the last one-hundredth time my name is Kagome, not woman!" Kagome shrieked a little too loudly. Sesshoumaru didn't really flinch from the pitch, but he definitely moved his head a little. After noticing the pain she caused him, in a much lower tone, she gently said, "call me Kagome - call me by my name much like I do to you."

"You denounce me all too commonly."

"Denounce? What do you mean by denounce?" Kagome placed both of her hands on either side of her hips as she watched Sesshoumaru seemingly ignore her, just so he could slip back on his flower-imprinted gi. "I don't understand how I'm denouncing you when--" Kagome cut herself short after she realized what he meant when he said the word, 'denounce'. _Nobility._

"Understand now?" he asked of her when she went completely silent.

"Yes, although putting that title before your name in this world does not suit the taste of us humans. So your name stands as it is without that self-induced title added on."

"I should slit your throat."

"Oh, yeah? Go ahead." Kagome stepped forward bravely and waited. _Maybe dying won't be such a bad idea. _"I'm not afraid of death; I've seen it enough times in the feudal era."

Hands poised and honing in for the kill Sesshoumaru gave her a shallow puncture on her neck before his body was wracked with unforgiving pain. Recoiling instantly, he withdrew his uninjured arm and tried to bear the brute of the pain by sitting still. The only thing Kagome could do was watch and feel her own warm blood trickle down her throat. She hadn't the time to think of her own wound because she was too transfixed by the suffering taiyoukai to register that she herself was feeling pain as well. As more and more blood pooled out of her bleeding neck she could feel herself getting light-headed.

_Yeah . . . Death doesn't feel too bad. I'd have no regrets if I died right here right now . . ._

Struggling to speak, Sesshoumaru grunted through grinding teeth, "you stupid woman, that wound is much too shallow to kill you so don't act as if you're dying." Despite what he said he couldn't get Kagome to respond to him. The strangest feeling was overcoming him; concern, even if just a little was overwhelming him. Kagome fell to her knees and then sagged to the floor very slowly, and all the while her blood continued to drip from her body. "Get up!"

_I can hear his voice, but I don't want to move . . . My eyes are becoming so heavy . . ._

"Oh my god, mom, come quick! Kagome is bleeding!"

Sesshoumaru looked up to see that Souta was standing by the doorway wearing an expression of fear. Pretty soon the entire family entered the room and swarmed around Kagome - much trepidation was heavy in the air, thickly covering everything. Sesshoumaru could sense the urgency in each family member; they all wanted to save Kagome.

"We need to take her to the hospital!" their grandpa cried.

-----

Kikyou listlessly roamed around the enormous hallways her very first evening here at the palace. The reason she was doing this was because she was looking for one youkai in particular; it was very unlike her to desire something so strongly - due to the fact that a priestess should hold no such notions in mind. Several guards that she walked by stared at her with such perplexity that she wondered if it was even all right to be doing what she was doing now. After much searching and circulation around the same areas one guard dare stop her to ask something.

"Excuse me," Kikyou turned in question to the tall youkai and stopped walking, "I've seen you come by here several times already. Is there something or someone you're looking for in particular?"

"Yes."

"I see. It may not be in my place to say this, but for the sake of the other guards and myself, we find it very distracting for a human like you to waltz around the palace this late at night. With the most sincere of tenacities, we'd like for you to return to your sleeping quarter."

"I understand - I am sorry to have caused you any trouble. I shall go back now." _This uneasy feeling I'm getting . . . Can I really trust that sparrow youkai so easily?_

"Thank you . . ." He looked at her patiently for her to mention her name.

"I'm Kikyou."

"Ah - thank you, Lady Kikyou."

Without another word the dead priestess walked back to her bedroom and closed the door behind her. Without letting go of the door's handle, she asked, "who is it that has entered my sanctum for the night?"

"Lady Kikyou, it is I, Tsume." She stepped out from beside the left side of the large, canopied bed. "I'm surprised you noticed me."

"Did you have fun waiting here?" Kikyou asked.

"I should ask the same of you. Did you have fun searching for me fruitlessly around the halls and corridors?"

_She likes to tease. _"About our deal, Tsume, surely you have not forgotten it?" The sparrow youkai shook her head tentatively. Eyes narrowing, Kikyou continued by saying, "then you must put in your end of the bargain, because I have already completed mine."

"Yes, yes, of course!" Tsume let out a haughty laugh that was oddly uncalled for in a situation such as this one. "Your desire to be resurrected! How can I forget such a petty request as that?" Her eyes gleamed with mirth when Kikyou glared at her angrily as she stepped away from the door to come towards her. "Kikyou, there are far better things than coming back to life - why not wish for something better? Do you not like immortality?"

"If you were a wandering spirit such as me then perhaps you'd better understand. Until then, I advise you to not say those rude remarks of yours."

"I suppose that brings to light some truth." _She's easy prey._

"Shall we begin?"

"Let's see," Tsume placed one finger to her chin in an act of looking childish, much to Kikyou's dismay, "the resurrection of a deceased wandering damsel . . . This may take a while. Are you prepared?"

"Of course." _I've been waiting for an opportunity such as this for a very long time. There is nothing I am not prepared for were it to be resurrected from the living dead - the damned._

"All right, follow me to my room."

Kikyou obeyed.

The way Tsume's bedroom looked like was not what the dead priestess expected it to look like at all. Once she entered inside a large bed in the center of the room was the first thing that caught her eyes. Next was a abnormally shaped table that was kept to the left side of the bed with strange looking bottles filled with liquids of different colors - Kikyou could only guess what each one of them contained. Tsume caught her staring so she was going to give her a little briefing about them.

"What you're looking at are my latest creations."

"You make things such as these?" Kikyou asked.

"You could call it a hobby; however, I've been making them ever since you and I made that deal between us. These potions have something to do with what we're going to perform here in this room." Kikyou looked to Tsume questioning, and for a split second she swore she saw the sparrow youkai smirk evilly. "Don't worry. I won't try anything to kill you, but seeing that you're already dead there'd be no point to do so, is there." _She's quite the character, isn't she? _"Well, whenever you're ready please go lie on my bed and I'll prepare the necessary procedures."

"All right."

The uneasy feeling Kikyou was now feeling wouldn't go away even as she laid herself onto the bed and waited. Turning her head to the side she watched Tsume pick up a bottle with blue liquid inside it and uncap it; what she did next came as a surprise to the priestess. Tsume gritted her teeth together when she downed the liquid as she tried not to scream out in pain. From the expression on her face Kikyou knew that she wasn't feeling comfortable at all let alone only pain.

"Are you all right?" she called out to the suffering creature.

"I-I'm fine. Just stay where-where you are and I'll be there in a minute," Tsume replied through gritted teeth. Trepidation was already forming on her forehead and her breathing started coming out in shallow puffs. "Li-listen here, no matter what this may appear like it is doing to me you must not interfere if you want this to work, got it?" Kikyou silently nodded. "Good. Then I shall begin now." Tsume walked towards the foot of the bed as quickly as she could before raising her arms up into the air in front of her.

_I do pray that this will work._

Chapter 9: END


	10. X: Fated to Be Entwined

Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to own the characters they all belong to Rumiko Takahashi, not me.

A/N: Leave me reviews. Thank you. And the poem I used was ripped off of a Full Metal Alchemist wallpaper I found on the net. XD (I give full credit to whoever created the wallpaper.)

A Gap Across Time

X: Fated to Be Entwined

"Hurry, she's bleeding profusely!" Mrs. Higurashi hovered over her only daughter and contemplated on what she should do while Souta went downstairs to dial the number for the ambulance. For one blinking second she thought she could hate the taiyoukai for what he did to her daughter, yet the look on his face could have moved any human who dared to look. _He looks almost sad . . . _Their eyes did lock, but hers did not hold any semblance of hatred towards him - she merely stared blankly.

"Mom," Souta called from halfway up the stairs, "the ambulance said they'd be here in three minutes! In the meantime they said we need to try and slow the bleeding!"

"All right, honey!"

"Ahhhhh, Kagome, you better not die! You shouldn't go before your grandpa does, oh, Kagome, hang in there!"

Sesshoumaru watched from the bed and wondered if the girl was really going to die. Her face had become so pale and lifeless; it was quite a jab to his chest to see her mother holding her limply in her arms without so much as a look of anger directed towards him. He was sure she knew he was the cause of her wound, and yet she didn't seem to hate him for it. _Humans . . . Must they be so hard to understand? Why were we youkai born among the complicated beings? _He could still feel the girl's warm blood at the tip of his fingernail - he could still feel the piercing strike of his attack like it was happening at this very moment. Closing his eyes he tried to rid himself of such annoying thoughts; the girl asked for death and he was to grant it so why did it bother him so?

Pretty soon insistent banging resounding from the front door came floating up the stairway first to the taiyoukai's ears, and then to the rest of the girl's family. With quick speed the grandpa was waltzing down the steps like his life depended on it - neither Souta nor his mother knew that he could move so fast. With a click and a turn of the front door knob the ambulance staff came marching in and were directed by the old man up the stairs to the girl's aide. One staff member looked at Sesshoumaru curiously, but said nothing because it would have been rather rude to comment the appearance of a stranger, and it was not in his line of duty to do so.

"On one, two, lift!" a man barked.

Kagome was hauled onto a stretcher and rushed down to the medical van where they could stabilize her bleeding and put her on fluids were in necessary. Kagome's mother and grandpa had trailed along behind the men and women staff leaving Souta behind with the taiyoukai on the bed. Souta was trembling as he sat down on the floor helplessly and looked at his bloody hands - they were coated in his sister's precious red water of life.

"Why . . ." _This isn't fair. _". . . why did you hurt her?"

Sesshoumaru found that he couldn't utter a single word no matter how much his mind willed himself to. There was an underlying tone in the boy's voice that yelled out the words, 'I hate you' over and over again. Thinking that it was best he leave the Demon Lord tried to stand up only to be roughly pushed back down by Souta. An angry look came to his eyes as he looked down at the taiyoukai; it appeared as if he wanted to strike him and hit after hit he'd scream out why.

". . . she wished it upon herself."

"That doesn't matter!" Souta cried. "I never knew that she'd go that far for you! Does someone like you even deserve her care and attention? She's all I have and if she dies it'll be all your fault! You unfeeling creature . . . You murderous being!"

"Speak what you want."

"You tried to kill my sister!"

By the time Souta was done screaming and throwing hissy fits he was too tired to even move from his position from the floor when he laid down to rest. The bridge of mistrust was far and wide between the boy and taiyoukai - it was only earlier when he was starting to warm up to the Demon Lord. To wanting to exact his revenge was quite mistaken, because Souta had no ideals or goals of revenge against the taiyoukai; he merely wanted him to apologize which was something he was not good at. All too suddenly the bed didn't feel as comfortable as he liked; it became hard-like and rough underneath his body. A warm sensation was flowing down from his shoulders to the soles of his feet; he knew then that this had yet to be another side effect of his ailing wounds that refused to heal. Tried as he might, Sesshoumaru could not find the time to sleep when the bed felt awkward to his overtly sensitive skin - he needed to get off as soon as possible whether or not he had the strength to do so.

-----

"Sango, would you mind if we took a rest just yonder this stream?" She gave him a quizzical look. "It's not only for my benefit, but for Kirara as well, because she seems to be tiring right about now." Kirara made some kind of growling mixed with meowing sound. "See?"

"Hmmm, I suppose. However, if we are to reach Kaede's place by tonight we mustn't rest for too long."

"Of course, Sango . . ." Miroku was looking rather reluctant and at unease.

"Hey . . . What's with the long face?" she asked. Miroku simply shrugged and said nothing. "Kirara, you can let us down here."

"Meeeooowww!"

Miroku was opted to tell his female companion about what was bothering him, but he didn't want to have to make her worry about it as well. The strange tale Inuyasha had told them before never left his mind, and the more he thought about it the more analytical he became towards the well's sealing. He came to surmise that if the well was to never be open again then the fate of all feudal Japan might be at stake. The cost would be great; nothing would be spared from the upcoming calamity the monk was sure would arrive if given enough time.

"Miroku . . ."

Looking up, Miroku asked, "yes, Sango?"

She eyed him suspiciously from the tree stump that she was sitting on. Miroku hadn't even noticed when she sat down. "You're hiding something from me. It's better if I knew what was bothering you so I might be able to help with the predicament."

_I suppose I should tell her after all. She will not let me off the hook anyway if I denied it_. "I'm afraid this is something that neither you nor I can handle by ourselves. A power beyond our human limits is what is beckoning to rise above from some hidden darkness." Miroku looked around for a moment to find a suitable spot to sit down. He settled for the soft grass that was growing beside the small stream situated to his right side. "This ominous feeling pervades what little else I can feel that is bad. The increase of demons is a clear sign something will happen, Sango, and for once I do not think this is Naraku's doing because he's gone into hiding after suffering from that massive battle that took place not too long ago, remember?"

"That may be true, yet we aren't sure what Naraku is really capable of given the past surprises he's rewarded us with."

"Damn it, Miroku!" she shouted.

Surprised by Sango's sudden tone, Miroku asked, "what? Did I say something wrong?"

"No . . . you said something that sounded absolutely right for once . . ."

"Hey, what do you mean by once?" A displeased smile graced the monk's lips as he stared at the woman sitting across from him. There was something else he was itching to tell her, but he decided against it because he was pretty sure she wouldn't want to listen anyway. "Well, if that's how you want to put it, I guess I have no choice, eh?"

"Let's go," was her only response.

"Already?"

"Hurry up before Kirara and I leave you behind." Miroku looked to the general direction to his left where he'd last seen the little furry feline sitting not too far from her Master. She wasn't there and she was already transformed; Miroku knew then that it would've been pointless to argue with the exterminator if Kirara was going to side with her. "Well, come on."

"All right."

During the rest of the ride there was little to nothing being said between the exterminator and monk - they were too immersed in their own thoughts to bother talking to each other. Kirara noticed the subtle silence, and it did not slip past her that the two people riding her were feeling uneasy. Then suddenly without warning a large snake youkai leaped from the treetops below and right at Miroku. He fell from Kirara's back as the snake curled its body around him while they fell together towards the trees below.

"Miroku!" Sango shouted. "Kirara, after them!"

"You stupid human," the demon hissed to Miroku, "what do you think with what little power you have can change your fate? The surge of youkai is for the oncoming age of a new Master that will rule both the seas and lands of this wretched world. We come forth in number to await the day he comes bearing down upon us. You and that acrid companion of yours slay us day by day. I feel it only fair that I rid a pest such as you away from this place. "

"Why-why are you telling me this?" Miroku managed to ask. _Was he listening to Sango and I when were talking earlier? How could I have not sensed the presence of a youkai nearby?_ He was struggling with the coils of the snake, because they were becoming ever tighter around his small human body. He didn't have his trusty staff with him due to the fact that it was knocked out of his hands when the snake demon lunged at him from below - it was all so sudden that he hadn't the mindset to not let go of it as he fell.

"Does it hurt, you stupid human? Shall I squeeze the very last ounce of life out of you?"

They fell the a small clearing amidst an area starving of any trees with a soft landing. At this point Miroku had already passed out from the lack of oxygen his lungs needed so badly; the youkai chuckled to himself. With quick sliding movements of his ample body, he slithered out of view into the bushes by the time Sango and Kirara made it to the clearing they were previously occupying.

"Miroku!" Sango called out over and over again. The sun had long set and now it was harder than ever to see anything through the tense foliage of trees all around her - desperate as she was she could not hear even the faintest of cries from anything several yards away. It seemed like the forest was a suffocating place with a life of its own. This time Sango feared she lost Miroku forever. "Miroku, where are you! If you can hear me, say something!" She fell to her knees helplessly. "Anything! Just as long as I hear your voice! Miroku!"

-----

Kagome awoke to find herself in a place that she was not familiar with; all the walls were white and the lights above her were so bright that she strained to keep her eyes open. _Am I in a hospital? _Someone's hand squeezed her right hand then, and she turned to see her mother sitting on a stool beside her hospital bed. A worried look was etched upon her features. _So I didn't die, huh? What I said before . . . I really meant it. I've thought about it, too; after all, Inuyasha wouldn't care and Sango and Miroku would be fine without me . . . Even little Shippou. I'd like to say that reality has gotten the best of me. _She squeezed her mother's hand back and smiled. _But I guess for now I'll live a little while longer._

"How are you feeling?" Mrs. Higurashi asked.

"Not too bad."

"You lost a lot of blood; it's stained the carpet at home in my room . . ."

"Oh," Kagome's smile faded away from her face, "sorry about that."

"He tried to kill you, Kagome, aren't you afraid of him now?" Her daughter shook her head. "How can you be so calm about a matter such as this? Perhaps he's blackmailed you somehow; it's all right if you tell me what it is, honey."

"He hasn't done anything to me, really." _Yet, I can't tell mom that I wanted to die! That'd freak her out! _Kagome clasped her hands towards and recited a poem her father once told her long ago:

If only, if only the moon speaks no reply  
Reflecting the sun and all that's gone by  
Be strong my weary wolf, turn around slowly  
Fly high my baby bird  
My angel, my only

"You still remember that?" her mother asked.

"Yeah." Her hands then wandered to her neck where Sesshoumaru punctured her. "Mom, he really didn't mean to hurt me. Despite the way he looks and acts, he can be just as caring as either one of us - I've seen it with my own eyes - I've heard it with my own ears. He may not say nor show such things directly to a person, but every bad heart is always enveloped with a good one."

"I'll trust your word, but make sure to be more careful around him. You shouldn't shrug off an injury like yours like it was nothing. You could have died if Souta did not see you when he did."

"Where is he and grandpa, by the way?"

"They're outside by this room talking."

"Oh."

"Are you hungry? You've slept for a few hours since breakfast."

"I'd rather go home; I want to see how Sesshoumaru is doing . . ." She could see the worried look her mother was giving her - it only made her want to go home more badly. "Is he fine? I hope he's all right! We should go now, mom!" When Kagome tried to get out of the hospital bed her mother simply pushed her back down. "What if he needs help going to the bathroom? He can hardly walk on his own . . ."

"Let's not worry about him for now. You should be more concerned with your own health, Kagome."

"You're suddenly turning to him a cold shoulder . . ." Kagome was not surprised by her mom's behavior though; it was only natural for her. ". . . Yet, even if you do that I will not turn him away. I will try my best to heal him and get him back to his own era where he rightfully belongs . . . Mom, did you know that on the other side of the well there's this little human girl he takes care of? She trusts in him completely and he'd never hurt her - on occasions when she'd get into trouble he was always there to save her." _Saying all this makes me feel all warm inside . . . How strange. _"All the pent up frustration he must feel, all the times he could not help himself to anything when that was in his very nature to be independent, all the times he's relied on you, me, Souta, and even grandpa. He deserves so much more . . . He, as a Lord and a loving father figure to a human child."

"Ah, I've misjudged you, Kagome."

"Not only me. Sesshoumaru as well."

"All right, let's go home."

Sesshoumaru heard their voices even before they unlocked the front door and entered the house. A pair of feet were making their way up the flight of stairs, and towards the room he was occupying - he could smell the scent of peaches evading his nostrils. He leaned his head down to await the arrival of a certain raven-haired girl that he'd like to avoid for the time being instead of seeing. Even as she approached the bedside he did not look up or acknowledge her presence - it confused him as to why he could not look her in the eyes.

"Did you need anything while I was gone?" Kagome could only wonder what Sesshoumaru was doing simply sitting there on the bed with his head bent. He often best stared her down with his golden-colored eyes, but not this time. "And . . . And I'm fine now; you didn't kill me, see?"

"I have no time for you. Leave my side at once."

Taken aback by his words Kagome stood there for a second before letting the words sink in very slowly. "If only you were still giving me the silent treatment like you had before, then I wouldn't have a problem not being around you!" _He is such a jerk! _"Or are you gonna say it was because you lost your voice as an excuse?"

"You stupid woman, I did lose my voice. If I hadn't I would have disciplined you with words."

"Hmph!" She crossed her arms one over the other. "Then how did you regain it?"

"You needn't know that."

"You can be so overbearing at times." Kagome glared at him for a moment before losing all expression on her face. She sensed something that was not normal for her - some strange lingering presence was invading the room, making her feel like she could hardly breathe. "What's happening?"

_What nonsense must she spout out to me now? _The terrified look on the girl's face grew more intense as she continued to stare at him. It was as if she was scared of something that was behind him when there was nothing to be seen other than the taiyoukai. _I sense nothing, and yet she is afraid . . . _"Why must you make that horrid look - are you so terrified that you are rendered motionless?" She didn't answer him. "Has the time come for you to realize that you're of no use to me?" Still, she would not answer no matter what sort of insults he threw at her. It was becoming quite bothersome. "Have you gone mad?"

"Se-Se-Sesshoumaru . . ." she finally breathed out, ". . . there's something suffocating me!" His eyes flared up instantly as he looked at her helpless form standing in front of him rigidly. If he didn't know any better he was sure that she was about to collapse from some unseen attack directed at her. It made him raise his eyebrows in speculation at such a prospect. He was no stranger to the forbidden arts, but in this girl's time era, he was surprised that such things existed here. "Help me! I-I can't breathe!"

"Death warrants you now - was that not what you wanted?" he asked of her.

She shook her head fearfully and tried to reach out to the taiyoukai with trembling arms. Somehow, for some unknown reason, she knew she'd be all right as long as he could touch Sesshoumaru - even the faintest hint of skin on skin was all she needed. Despite her lack of motor skills due to something omnificent, she reached out as far as she could until she got a hold of Sesshoumaru's left hand with her own. The suffocating feeling she felt dissipated immediately. Kagome gulped in mouthful after mouthful of air like her lungs would never get enough of it. Sesshoumaru never groped her hand back, instead, his were slack and cold compared to her own warm, sweaty palm.

"What was that?" Kagome said more than asked.

To Be Continued!


	11. XI: Something's Amiss

Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to own the characters they all belong to Rumiko Takahashi, not me.

A/N: Hohoho! Merry Christmas, everyone! Here is my gift to you! Read and review as a gift to me, too! Hohoho! LoL

A Gap Across Time

XI: Something's Amiss

"So, um, when does he begin?" Shippou looked from one youkai to the other. Inuyasha's first instructors didn't seem too commanding compared to Saiai or Tsume, but if they had to get the job done Shippou was sure they could. "Your names are Katari and Aizuna, right?"

The one with snow-flecked hair smiled and bowed politely. "I'm Katari and he is Aizuna. You must be Shippou?" The little fox pup nodded. "It's nice to see you and our Lord's brother, Inuyasha, again."

"All right, all right, enough with the formalities. Can't we just begin now?"

Inuyasha was lazily stretching and yawning at the same time. He couldn't understand why the training had to start so early in the morning - the sun had barely risen over the mountains and there were only, but a few select nightshift guards still standing around. The annoyed glare Shippou was giving him was not helping better his attitude towards the trio either. Inuyasha was put on a short fuse and the only way he thought he could be appeased was if he were released from his imprisonment here in the palace.

"Well, if you're that eager then I suppose we shall," Aizuna supplied. "First off, Katari and I are in the Minister of Support, which is literally the counselors that deal with medical supplies, and the handling of staff members who are available to tend to the wounded when it is necessary. There are actually one other counselor under our administration, but she is stuck with babysitting duties to the child, Lady Rin."

"What you will be learning today will be very important both to the soldiers, and to the whole of the inhabitants in the palace as well. It is crucial that our Lord understands the workings of the medical field. Coming up with new concoctions, healing brews, salvaging herbs, and preserving them for later use; such things like that." Katari stopped short of his explanation when he realized that Inuyasha was gone from his post. Somehow without the trio noticing it, he had slipped away off to some other part of the many hallways they were currently residing in. "Hm, I wonder how he sneaked past us without us knowing?"

"Inuyasha can be such an idiot!" Shippou shouted. "It's so typical of him to wander off when something doesn't interest him! I'm going to go find him!"

"Wait, before you . . ." He trailed off the sentence sluggishly without finishing it. Aizuna's voice proved ineffective because little Shippou did not stop from his rampaging through the hallways like a mad bull to bother listening to him.

"Oh, dear," Katari began, "what kind of mess did we get ourselves into?"

"We should search for him as well," Aizuna said. _It's not a wonder why Lord Sesshoumaru despises his younger half-sibling so much. _"Hopefully, either Tsume, Saiai, or Kikoku catch him because they'd know what to do if they found him out." Katari smiled up at him ruefully and clasped his hands together. The milky whiteness of his eyes held within them a strange appearance of longing - Aizuna couldn't quite understand the look. _The wick that should not be lighted shall be lighted in the end no matter the outcome, huh? _"Let's begin."

"All right."

Meanwhile, on some faraway hallway Shippou was so high-strung with anger that he hadn't nor needed the time to rest lest he found Inuyasha first. It was rather shameful that the stupid dog demon would act in such a way; it was a known fact that Inuyasha was not one to be lectured to, but for something as important as this Shippou found it utterly unacceptable as well as disrespectful to the counselors that were trying to school him. No matter where he looked he could not find Inuyasha; he even asked the guards standing around, but all of them replied with the same answer:

"We have not seen the person you speak of."

_Geez, where could he have gone off to! I need to find him before he causes more trouble for the both of us! And I was asked to watch him for Miroku and Sango because they couldn't come along as well! I can't give up now! Not yet! Maybe even Kagome is counting on me . . .!_

From behind a large marbled pillar Inuyasha was snickering to himself when he noticed that Shippou was looking for him fruitlessly. _Keh, he can rue the day he'll ever catch me! _Inuyasha let out a startled cry when he felt someone poke him in the back from behind - it wasn't too soft nor was it too hard. Afraid that he was found out he was hesitating on whether he should run or simply turn around. It became apparent that Shippou heard his voice because he was already making his way to where he was hiding. _Crap, he's coming! _His only solution was to run so that was what he did. He didn't even bother to look at the person who tapped him either as he made his getaway.

"Stop, Inuyasha!" Shippou called after him.

"Ah, wait you two!" a girl cried out. Yet, the two would not stop. "Hmph, and I wanted to talk to Lord Inuyasha, too. I wonder why they are in such a hurry?"

"Quit chasing me, you little brat! Don't you have better things to do?" Inuyasha called over his left shoulder. He was amazed that the little fox demon could keep up with him, when he was running so fast down the hallways that many soldiers standing on guard was surprised by the sudden blur of red and white zooming past them. _Who'd have thought that the lesson would be so god damn boring! Of course I couldn't simply stay there and listen for a good couple of years of my life! _Spotting a small opening to some unknown door he'd never seen Inuyasha made a quick dash towards it and went inside while closing the door silently behind him. He pressed one ear to the door and listened for the screaming of Shippou, and when he heard him go past the door he breathed out a sigh of relief. Shippou could really be a annoying handful when he wanted to be.

Given the time to relax a little, Inuyasha decided to look around his surrounding area to see where he had lead himself to. The room he was currently occupying was rather large for a closet storage room; the many mops and brooms that lined the wall were neatly kept free of dust and in order according to their height. A little ways to the far left of the clatter of cleaning sticks were a stack of hand towels that were a pristine white color. It made the hanyou wonder if they were even used before because they looked so spotless to begin with. He walked towards the pile of towels and grabbed one so he could dab his sweating face with it - something behind him moved which made him tense up in alarm. Turning around quickly he noticeably realized that the wall opposite him housed a large array of kitchen utensils that were old and dusty-looking. He found it strange that such items much like cooking and eating wares were stored together with the cleaning supplies; his brother's palace did not make much sense with the way he organized things.

Getting back to Aizuna and Katari, it seemed like they were uselessly searching for someone that had squarely disappeared without a hint of where he could have gone. It never crossed their minds that he was so close, and yet so far at the same time when they searched a certain hallway that contained the storage door he was residing behind. Katari did stop for a second to examine the door in a funny way, but he did not notice that Inuyasha was inside even though he smelled his scent all over the area. Aizuna, being a hedgehog youkai, did not have a good of a sense of smell as Katari did, and neither did he bother to stop until his companion did while sniffing the air at the same time.

"Have you caught onto his scent?" Aizuna asked. He, too, began to sniff. "I faintly smell him, but I'm not too sure where it's coming from."

"I'm not too sure myself," Katari replied. "His scent stops here, but I doubt he'd be in the cleaning storage room."

"We ought to check."

Inuyasha sweat dropped when he heard the door go click and the knob being turned - he needed to hide before they spotted him. Frantically looking to his left and right he leaped into a large bin of some cleaning solution he did not care to realize what it could be; a mop sloshed inside as well from his sudden plunge into the solution where its head fell across his stomach. Although he didn't notice the bin beforehand Inuyasha was graciously glad that something was there to hide him from view. Both Aizuna and Katari heard the loud splash even before the door was opened completely all the way.

"That splash . . ." Katari said, whilst walking into the storage room. He glanced down at the moving cleaning solution inside a large black bin to see that a mop fell in. "Hm, must have been caused by this mop." He lifted the poor soaking thing and rung it dry with his hands.

"Katari," Aizuna reprimanded, his opal-colored eyes becoming subtly angry looking, "you shouldn't touch that with your hands! That's a servant's job!"

Blushing, Katari automatically dropped the mop to let it fall back into the bin. A large amount of bubbles came to the surface of the solution after he did that. Inuyasha could see the horse youkai looking down into the liquid, but he did not seem to notice that it was him who had caused the bubbles and not the mop. He could only pray that they'd leave the room soon because he was starting to fight the urge to not go to the surface for air no matter how badly he needed it. Not being discovered was the only thing that was running through his mind as he tried to reason with his body as to why he didn't want to rise up from the solution and take in a gulp of air. His pride (or so he called it) was hanging in the balance.

"Strange, isn't it, that his scent ends here, but he's not inside . . ." Katari's brows furrowed together at such a thought. " . . . And I do hope we won't get into too much trouble with the other counselors over such a silly problem."

"Don't worry about it too much just yet, Katari, we still have time to search for him before the others would want us to report in," Aizuna supplied.

_Hurry the hell up and leave already! _Inuyasha was about to burst if they didn't close the door soon. By the time they left he came out in a coughing fit from being in there for so long - the stench of lemon was very strong on his skin, clothing, and hair. _This is going to take weeks before the smell comes off . . .! _

"Aha!" Inuyasha looked towards the door in mild surprise when Shippou was triumphantly standing there pointing an accusing finger at him. "I just knew you were in here! I should have back-tracked sooner!" Noticing the new smell Shippou wrinkled up his nose considerably before pinching his thumb and forefinger together over his nostrils. "And what's up with the lemony smell?"

"Don't even poke fun at me or I swear I will seriously kill you," Inuyasha warned. Shippou gulped and nodded his head. "Go tell a guard to get me a bath ready . . . God, I stink of lemon!"

"Well, duh, you dunked yourself into cleaning solution . . ."

"Are you asking for an early death sentence?" Inuyasha asked, eyes blazing like molten hot fire. "You'd better get moving before I change my mind and kill you."

"Ahhhh, don't kill me! I'm going!" Shippou cried as he ran towards the nearest guard who was only several hallways down.

"There he is!" Katari exclaimed. "Lord Inuyasha, we were looking all over the palace for you! What--" He stopped short of walking to Inuyasha's side when he got a whiff of the strong lemony smell. It wasn't that he was so startled that he dared not approach, but it was because the smell was so thick in its own glory that he feared if he went any closer he'd faint. "--are you all right, Lord Inuyasha?"

"Yeah, I'm fine . . . Am I in trouble now?" he asked.

"You could say that," Aizuna suffused, blanketing his own nose with a hand. If he could think of the citrus smell as horrid, then it'd probably affect everyone in the palace as well.

"Figured as much. I'm not cut out at being a Lord of a palace so it'd be better for me if you all got someone else to do it," Inuyasha told the two counselors. "Being cooped up here is driving me insane. And all these rules and laws that I need to learn is not going to be easy for a wild youkai like me."

"Did you not promise to do this for Lady Kikyou?" Aizuna made sure that Inuyasha heard him loud and clear. "Was it not you who declared in the first place that you were doing this for her sake?"

_That's right. I did say that. _"I remember." Inuyasha stood up on his own two feet when Shippou came bounding back to him. "Is the bath ready?" Shippou nodded. "All right." He looked to Katari and Aizuna while saying, "um . . . please excuse me . . ." he stopped for a moment and wondered what he should say next - he wasn't used to being polite to anyone, ". . . I'm going to take a bath so can our lesson continue on later?" Katari smiled while Aizuna nodded. He wasn't used to apologizing either, but he knew that when bitten, a mutter of 'I won't do it again' needed to be heard. "Thank you. And . . . err . . . I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused."

"I'm sorry, too," Shippou added, "I didn't mean to cause a ruckus while I was running around looking for Inuyasha."

"Apologies accepted. We'll be waiting for you in the Minister's Office of Support, Lord Inuyasha," Aizuna said.

"Got it."

----------

"What was that just now?" Kagome asked. She looked up at the demon Lord helplessly as she sought out his eyes for some sort of comfort. He gave none to her and nor did he hope to receive any in return. "It was so hard to breathe."

"You're inconceivable - at one moment you wanted to die, and then in the next moment you prayed to live. Humans like you are dysfunctional creatures."

Those words stung at Kagome, although she knew his embellished ideals of a human were not in all it's entirety a wrong ideal either. No human was perfect and neither were humans so distorted in nature that they lacked the skills needed to survive. Human emotions - this was what sways the human heart and mind to jump from one idea to the next depending on their mood or sensuality. These were human traits that all who lived on Earth possessed, and Kagome knew as well as any other decent human being that without such notions the human race would have been extinct long ago.

"I have my regrets . . ." _And here I was sure I wouldn't have any. _

"You are much too soft," Sesshoumaru told her. "It's rather disgusting."

"Say, do you feel any better than before?" Sesshoumaru wasn't quite understanding her question so he remained tight-lipped about the sudden change in topic aimed towards him. "I mean, does your wounds still hurt a lot?"

"I have no answer for that."

"Well, you see, with your expressionless demeanor and all, I find it hard to figure out unless you tell me." Lifting her left hand she began to count up the days as to how long Sesshoumaru had stayed here in her house. "You've been here for roughly a week now, which makes it roughly two-and-a-half weeks since you were last seen in feudal Japan."

"Then I must return at once. I've been here long enough, and I wish to see no more of this unsightly world you belong to."

"The well is still broken, your wounds have not yet healed, there's conflicts between you and my family, and I worry about you . . ." Sesshoumaru snorted in distaste. "Really, I do." _I think . . . In some ways, I've grown to like you a bit more despite the way you act towards me . . . I hope that someday your perception of me will change, so that we can get along better . . . Yeah, wouldn't that be nice?_

"My wound should not concern you - you should be more worried about yourself," he told her. The sad smile she gave him then made his blood boil; it became evident that he disliked pity a whole lot. "I suffer for no one . . . And neither should you."

"I know that." Kagome took tentative steps towards the taiyoukai - she was very careful that she avoided the blood-stained spot on the carpet as she passed by it - she did not want to look down. "May I see your wounds again? Perhaps I might be able to do something for you."

"You, a human, observe me?" he asked in mockery.

"Yes, that's right, a human girl such as me just might be able to help." Kagome wasn't going to back down; she wasn't going to take her word back about him. She really was worried and wanted to see if any of her priestess powers could make a difference. _Even if Sesshoumaru says he suffers for no one, that in itself makes it that he's suffered long enough for himself. The burden he feels must be really heavy. _"Please, just this once. If I can't do anything, then I will try and get you back to feudal Japan for medicine or magic there that might be able to help."

"Hmph."

"Please . . . Lord Sesshoumaru . . ."

_She makes requests like a beggar on a roadside asking for spare change. It's utterly despicable. _"Do as you wish."

"Th-thank you!" _For now, his concerns should come before mine. At least that's what I think is right . . ._

Sesshoumaru eyed the bandages on her neck the whole time that she took to undo the front of his gi. She was so nervous that she took longer than necessary to peel it off from his chest, and down past his arms. The bandages wrapped around his torso and chest really needed to be changed - the one on his shoulder needed new bondages as well. They were soaked through with blood - Kagome hadn't realized that Sesshoumaru had been suffering all this time without her noticing a single thing. He kept things hidden well, and thus far, he had succeeded in putting up a strong front of appearing uninjured.

_Her touch brings me relief._

_Is he trembling or is it me?_

"Stop now if you cannot go on," Sesshoumaru suddenly said.

Kagome looked down at her own hands and noticed that she was trembling, not the taiyoukai. Her hands were knotted onto the flaps of his flower-imprinted gi as she held onto it tightly. A uncontrollable desire told her that she should cry. A unshakable feeling whispered to her heart, her soul, and told her that she would cry. Cry she did; like small waterfalls they fell from her mountain-chiseled cheeks like they were not able to cling on for dear life. One lonely tear drop fell atop on Sesshoumaru's bare milky-white chest - it landed without a sound, and much like quicksilver, it ran down along the side of one of his ribcages.

"Why are you crying?"

"Seeing you this way makes me hurt here," she pointed to her own chest with one hand, "it's strange, but I feel pain here for you."

"Detestable."

"I'm sorry. I'll go get more bandages for you."

Kagome stood up quickly and left her mother's bedroom in hurried silence. When she was a little ways away from the bedroom she literally broke down and bawled like a newborn baby. This overwhelming feeling was flooding through her, and she couldn't quite get her bearings in order. She cried for a reason that she wanted to understand, or it was perhaps the answer was right there. It was only a matter of her wanting to grasp it or letting it remain as is - unknown and foreign to all.

Affection is not passed around cheaply like a cheeky smile.

To Be Continued!


	12. XII: Wholly Unintentional

Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to own the characters they all belong to Rumiko Takahashi, not me.

A/N: Leave me reviews, please! Thanks a bunch if you do! X3

A Gap Across Time

XII: Wholly Unintentional

Sango was still at the clearing where she last saw Miroku and the snake demon fall down onto; a day had already gone by and she couldn't find the will to force herself to leave. Not just yet. She wanted confirmation that the monk was still alive somewhere - she wanted proof. She had searched the underbrush for any signs of an injured Miroku, but not dead, and yet she came up with nothing. The only thing he possessed that was with her was his trusty staff. It was found lying in a bed full of grass underneath a tall weeping willow tree that seemed as if it were hovering over it; protecting it.

"Meeeoooowww." Sango could feel herself being nudged in the side; she could tell that Kirara was agitated and wanted to leave. After all, a forest was never safe when it was dark out, and especially when a person was all alone.

"It's all right, Kirara," Sango turned to the small creature beside her and smiled, "we'll wait just a little longer. If he doesn't show up, then we'll go to Kaede's place for the time being on our own."

Even as she said this, she couldn't shake off the dreadful feeling that was overtaking her. At the time when she saw Miroku falling with the demon she noticed that the youkai was smirking the whole time. She'd screamed out Miroku's name then, but it wasn't going to change anything. The air rushing by her hair and face, the angered growl from Kirara, the desperate scream from Miroku for help, it all came sinking in more vividly than before. Sango shuddered at the remembrance and tried to shrug it off by clutching the monk's staff closer to herself.

_Just a little longer. We'll just wait a bit longer . . ._

-----

_Dammit, I can't get rid of this smell! I didn't think the solution would be so strong in its scent, its unreal! _Inuyasha scrubbed at his arms and legs furiously until they became a bright red. If he'd scrubbed any harder his skin would start to sting in the ministrations of the hot water. An array of assorted shampoos and soaps were lined up by the edge of the bath for the leisure of Inuyasha's own dispense. He had already sampled most of them and none worked - it started to worry him that the scent wasn't going to go away for a very long time. _I can't go smelling like lemon inside the palace! If it bothers my nose, then it'll be worse for the youkai that have a better sense of smell than I, which, of course, I highly doubt._

"Inuyasha, are you almost done in there?" Shippou called from behind the screened door. He could feel the heat of the bath's steam seeping through the ricer paper covering the door's panels. "Aizuna and Katari have been diligently waiting for an hour now . . ."

"Ask them to wait a little longer because it's much harder than you think to get rid of this citrus smell!" Inuyasha hollered back none too happily.

_Geez, what a selfish brat. _Shippou scratched the back of his head with one hand. Out loud, he muttered, "it was his own fault that he smells the way he does now. Who'd of thought he'd run away from counselors trying to school him."

A chuckle from behind Shippou made him turn around at lightning speed. The tall tree youkai known as, Saiai, was standing before him with a huge grin on his face. "This new Lord of ours is a very interesting fellow," he said to Shippou. "I've heard all about the little adventure that took place this morning in the palace. You must have gotten quite a jog this morning, didn't you?"

Panicking, Shippou automatically replied, "I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to run back and forth across the halls like that! I must have distracted the guards from doing their duty, and--"

"That's quite enough. You needn't apologize for what was not your wrongdoing in the first place." Saiai ushered for the fox child to stand up straight. Shippou could see that he then shifted his gaze towards the screened door for the bathing area. A clear sign told the little youkai that Saiai was thinking about something while he was looking at the rice-papered door. "Do you think Aizuna and Katari have waited long enough?" Unsure of how to reply to that question, Shippou meekly nodded. "You're such a cheeky lad; it'd be a nice thing if you were to play with Lady Rin during the day."

"Lady Rin?" Shippou asked, ears perking up at the sound of the name. His suppressive nature was quickly forgotten, for it was replaced with one that was much more keen on acting out. "Who's that?"

"She's the child our Lord has taken in under his wing some time ago." Shippou actually gawked at the counselor like he had gone insane. "Believe me, it is quite true, what I am telling you now. If it would not trouble you too much, perhaps a time and place can be scheduled for her to meet you in person one of these days. I am sure that she would be most grateful to play with someone else her own age."

"If it's all right with everyone," Shippou scratched at a side of one of his cheeks gingerly, "then I would be honored to meet Lady Rin."

Saiai smiled. Shippou smiled back. It was in this moment in time that Inuyasha decided to step out of the bath to catch the two staring at one another. Like a father chiding his son (in a rather harsh way), Inuyasha demanded, "you pipsqueak, why are you just standing there smiling at him? Is he that fascinating to look at?"

Color coming to his cheeks, Shippou replied, "we were talking about something that has nothing to do with you, so you can just butt out of our space."

Inuyasha sighed and rubbed a towel through his long, damp hair. He could still smell the lingering scent of the lemon, and it was bothering his own nose a great deal. Shippou stiffened when the hanyou walked closer towards him; it was obvious that he was also repulsed by the pungent smell as well. Saiai, on the other hand, was standing there calmly beside them like the smell of the lemon did nothing to harm his delicate nostrils. It only made Inuyasha and Shippou wonder why he was sniffing the air so much, too, when Inuyasha had walked up to them.

"Do you like this smell?" Inuyasha asked.

"It's a wonderful scent. We tree youkai love the smell of citrus over many other types of fruit and vegetable fragrances." Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow at him and scoffed. "I see it is not in your favor for me to say such a thing, but I am simply telling you the truth, Lord Inuyasha."

"If you say so." Shippou was about to say something, but Inuyasha knew what was coming so he beat him to it. "And before you start yapping, pipsqueak, I know that Aizuna and Katari are waiting for me to continue our little lesson. Just let me get dressed and I'll be down there shortly, got it?"

"Well then, I shall take my leave of you, my Lord."

"Sure, whatever."

_Such arrogance . . . There is still much to be learned. _Saiai took one last glance at the now arguing duo before stepping behind the screened door, and pushing it shut firmly. His fears were now confirmed - Tsume was right about one thing when they were talking in private to one another - perhaps it was a little too foolish on his part to think that Inuyasha could be truly merged in with their lifestyle in such a short amount of time. Yet, there was no turning back on this because the Lord of the North was coming to visit them soon due to some issues having not been resolved amongst the two Lords . . . _Will Lord Inuyasha be ready when the time comes?_ _If Lord Sesshoumaru were here . . . Would he have postponed the date of the meeting if he were to know of it? After all, there's something lying about that needs to be concealed . . ._

-----

It have long risen over the horizon, and Sango knew that the sun was already reaching its midday perch atop the hills. She'd told herself and her little cat companion that they'd wait a little longer, but as it turned out, she stayed in that clearing far more longer than she had anticipated. They waited all through the night, and it was now the next day in the early summit of the afternoon. Much to Kirara's protest to leave while it was still dark, Sango had declined to do so and with hope in her saddened eyes, tried to believe that Miroku would show up from a nearby bush, claiming that he was unharmed and the demon having been slain. However, this was only wishful thinking on her part - nothing more.

"Sorry to have worried you so much last night, Kirara." The cat demon meowed in understanding. "I said we'd leave . . . Yet, I couldn't force my feet to move." _I only wanted to see you, Miroku. _"I kept thinking that he'd pop out from behind one of the bushes and surprise us, you know?" Kirara meowed again. "Well, it can't be helped . . ."

Kaede's village came into view by the time the sun was really high in the sky. Almost out of desperate need for comfort, Sango rushed headlong into the village in the hopes of finding Kaede standing by one of the huts. Standing by a hut she was, and Sango wasted no time in approaching her, though she was breathless and sweating when she stopped in front of her.

"What is it, Sango?" Kaede asked of her. "You look as if you've seen something ghastly."

"You could say that," Sango said in between breaths, "however, I need to discuss something with you." Kaede could see the urgency in the girl's brown-colored eyes when she stared into them. "Miroku is . . . No, I believe Miroku has been captured by a demon." The old woman's eyes widened at the mention of that, and she did not hesitate to usher Sango inside the hut they were standing in front of. "We were going to head to this village to tell you something, but when we were taking off after a much needed break, a snake demon lunged at us from below and snatched Miroku away. The only thing I have that belongs to him is his staff." Sango presented it to Kaede.

"A snake demon, you say? What did he look like?" Kaede took the offered staff and sensed something wholly unintentional about it. It pulsed with the aura of a demon's. She looked at the demon exterminator to see if she'd sensed anything as well, but nothing appeared to be amiss of her expression. _Alas, it shall be better that she does not know of this just yet. _Kaede put the staff back down when she could no longer stand the evil within it.

"It's hard to say, Kaede, because I didn't really see the demon at all . . . now that I think about it." Sango shrugged her shoulders and sighed. "I wish I could be of more help to you."

"It is all right, Sango, don't force yourself." Kaede then remembered something that was left undone. "About Inuyasha, has he decided to come to me to tell me of the hooded figures he claims have sealed up the well?" The girl shook her head. "Ignorant, is he not?"

"This may all sound quite strange, but before Inuyasha had the time to come see you he was approached by Sesshoumaru's so-called counselors, and they had asked for his cooperation. It appears that the absence of Sesshoumaru had caused some sort of disarrangement within his palace, or so the counselors stated." Kirara hopped into her Master's lap, momentarily dispelling the conversation. "Excuse me, sorry for the abrupt pause, but as I was saying, Inuyasha was asked to go watch the palace for Sesshoumaru while he was missing. However, Shippou was asked to go with him to watch him while he was there."

"That was a wise idea," Kaede conceded. "Inuyasha would not know anyone there other than Shippou."

"Well," Sango was itching to say Miroku, but instead, she said, "we were concerned that no one would be there to keep Inuyasha in check if the need arises. I would have gone along myself, but they prohibited any human from entering the palace grounds so that was a total loss."

"Since you seem to be weary of traveling and are low on provisions, why not stay here for a while?" Kaede asked. Sango looked rather hesitant at the idea and the old priestess knew of the reason. "Miroku will not come out and about like you hope he will; it will take some time before you are ready to begin searching once more - your body has been stressed out enough for the time being. Have you not noticed that your hands have been shaking?"

Sango looked down at her hands. "N-no, I haven't." They were indeed shaking, and Sango didn't even realize how tired she was until Kaede mentioned about it. It appeared that she was running on pure adrenaline alone, suffice to say, it wasn't going to help her any longer because she was simply too worn down and needed rest. "I haven't slept at all ever since Miroku disappeared yesterday . . ."

"You poor child. You go on and lie down on that bed yonder there, and I will cook up some medicinal broth for you when you awake."

"Thank you. You are too kind to me." Sango weakly smiled and walked towards the comforting looking bed. Without a second thought she lowered herself onto it and was soon fast asleep.

Kaede left the hut and went outside where some of the other villagers had gathered; they were whispering to one another, but soon stopped when the old woman approached them. One female villager had a weary look on her face - Kaede noticed this so she turned to her in question and asked, "is there something the matter, Anki?"

Anki grabbed at the hem of her worn down kimono before replying, "that girl that has come to our village, she carried with her a large boomerang. Some of us were wondering if she was a demon exterminator that has come from the far west - they were well known for slaying foes twice their strength."

"What of it?" Kaede wasn't in the mood for idle chatter; there was too much on her mind for her to bother with such silly matters. "She may be a exterminator born from the east, but she does not work for others simply for money. As of right now, she is in a state of rest so I suggest none of you bother her while she sleeps."

"But, Kaede," Anki stepped forward, "why not ask her to eliminate the demons that have been plaguing these parts of our land? Most of the villagers are afraid to grow crops out on the hilltops where a demon may likely attack them. Don't turn a blind eye to our problems." A few of the other villagers behind her murmured to one another. "An increase in demons cannot be due to coincidence; something is going to happen."

"You are right, but I do not have the supposition of asking her to do such a thing when she is in peril."

"What do you mean?" Anki asked.

"A friend of hers has gone missing. She is in no position to do anything other than to recuperate for the time being. While she is here I want none of you," Kaede glanced at each villager in turn, "to ask of her to slay any demons."

"Understood," Anki replied. "We apologize for being so inconsiderate."

By the time Sango woke up it was well into the early evening because she noticed that there was a lit lantern placed beside the futon she was sleeping on. Kirara was still curled up beside her even as she sat up to stretched her arms to relax her cramped muscles. Outside, she could hear a loud banging sound that sounded like metal was being struck against metal; trying her best not to stir Kirara from her sleep she slowly crept out of the futon and stood up. From the small slit by the hut's cloth draped door she could make out two people dueling one another.

_I wonder what they could be fighting about? Yet, I hear no screaming or anything of the sort; are they merely sparring against one another? _

Peeking her head outside she noticed that the two individuals she saw fighting were indeed sparring just like she had assumed. They ceased any action though, when Sango stepped out fully into plain sight - everyone who looked at her seemed a bit miffed, but she did not know of the reason for their annoyance. The woman known as Anki was the one who decided to approach her while the others watched.

"How are you feeling?" she asked of Sango.

"I'm feeling much better, thank you." Sango wasn't sure that she wanted to converse with this woman, because from the way she was staring at her and the way her posture was situated, she was almost certain that this woman did not like her. "Um, did you need something . . .?"

"You could say that," she said.

"Would I be of any help?" Sango asked. She didn't know what she was getting herself into, but whatever it was, she was sure that it couldn't be anything too bad since these people did appear to be harmless villagers. They lived with Kaede no less.

"The village chief had spoken earlier, so you needn't worry about doing anything."

"When you say village chief, do you mean Kaede?" Anki nodded. "I see."

"By the way, my name is Anki. What's yours?"

"Sango. And the cat sleeping inside the hut is Kirara."

"All right, Sango, come with me. Kaede has been waiting for you inside the hut right over there," Anki pointed to it with a finger, "so simply follow along this side of the village and you'll get there in no time."

"Thank you."

Sango had a mind to wake Kirara up, but she decided against it and took off for the largest hut in the village by herself. Upon entry she was surprised to see that there were so few things stored inside when on the outside, the hut looked considerably large. Kaede was sitting on a cushion with her feet tucked underneath her as she stared up at Sango; with a gesture of a hand, she motioned for the girl to have a seat in front of her.

"Are the villagers preparing for something?" Sango asked, as soon as she was seated.

"In all cases, they are trying to prepare a group of villagers who will slay the demons on the hillsides of this village. There are crops we are growing up there, and no one is to tread foot on the soil until the demons are exterminated." Kaede let out a long sigh. "I am sure you have already met her, but several months ago, Anki lost her husband to a ferocious demon while he was busy harvesting the vegetables from the hillside. Ever since then she has tried in vain to search for a exterminator from the far east to help eliminate the demons who pose as a threat."

"Exterminator from the far east . . ." Sango stilled at the prospect, ". . . can she mean my village?"

"Yes."

"But we are no more . . ."

"She knew you were from that clan of exterminators as soon as she saw you. It is not a wonder, for it is because of the clothing that you are wearing."

"If it will cause problems, I can change to my usual attire that I normally wear if you wish," Sango made note to say. "And about the demons on the hillside, it will not bother me if they want my assistance; I wouldn't want someone losing a loved one or a close friend. While I am here I might as well make myself useful."

"Are you truly certain you want to do that?"

"Yes, I am."

"I have not the power to stop you, so do as you wish." _It seems that she has made the decision to help them of her own accord._

Sango nodded.

To Be Continued!


	13. XIII: Kikyou's Revival

Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to own the characters they all belong to Rumiko Takahashi, not me.

A Gap Across Time

XIII: Kikyou's Revival

Kikyou was surprised to feel so different after the transfiguration - her skin no longer felt cold and she didn't feel hollow inside like she did before. In order to make sure that her concoction worked, Tsume reached out for one of Kikyou's hands and slit a small cut onto Kikyou's open palm with a small knife - blood oozed out - just like she had expected. She smiled when Kikyou looked up at her with a small smile on her face.

"You wanted to be alive again that much?" she asked. She reached down inside a cabinet to fish out a cloth.

"I suppose." Kikyou took the cloth that Tsume offered her and wrapped her hand around it. "Is it that strange for you to accept such a request?"

"Not really."

"Well then, since we are done, I do hope you will gather all of your things and make haste to clear out this room." Tsume smiled at the priestess; she was contemplating on whether she would make a good ally or not. "I do feel a bit faint. It is in your best intentions and my wishes that I get some much needed rest."

"I understand. I'll leave as soon as possible because I'd hate to be a bother to such a beautiful bell flower such as you."

"Thank you. And please refrain from calling me a bell flower - Kikyou will be just fine."

By the time Tsume actually vacated her sleeping quarters Kikyou was already put to bed by the sparrow youkai beforehand. What Tsume sacrificed to make the priestess's desire come true came at a great cost to her, but it wasn't a problem because she was well provided for as long as she remained loyal. For anyone of her caliber, even among different breeds of sparrow youkai, she was forced to use one of her precious eggs to make the potency of the majority of her concoctions to work accordingly without fail. Such a risk of losing one of her eggs could result in death when it was removed from her body, yet, Tsume was not afraid to relinquish one of hers.

While she was walking down one of the hallways she ran into their substitute Lord, Inuyasha. They both stopped walking to look at each other squarely in the face - Inuyasha, with a curious look on his face, while Tsume, with a annoyed appearance. The hanyou saw her exiting out of Kikyou's room, and he could only wonder what she did inside there with all the bottled potions and such that she was carrying in a tray within her arms. He decided to ask the suddenly now perturbed bird youkai about it.

"What were you doing in Kikyou's sleeping quarter?" Inuyasha asked.

Tsume sopped short of getting near the hanyou, because the smell of citrus lemon instantaneously hit her nostrils. She raised hand to cover her nose. Inuyasha noticed the sudden recoil of the sparrow youkai, but he spoke nothing of it, because the smell was bothering him just as much as it was bothering her.

"That is none of your business. You'll find out soon enough when she awakens." Inuyasha glared at her at the sound of that. "Do not worry; I did not drug her with anything. I simply gave her what she wanted, and it has taken its toll on her so she needs to rest for a little while. I advise you do not disturb her because she's told me to barricade her door with a priestess charm she claims wards off anyone from entering; even me."

"Is that so . . ." Inuyasha didn't like the sound of that. Tsume made it sound like Kikyou was keeping something a secret from him.

"Excuse me. I must get back to the Minister of Affairs office. I am assuming you are still learning the wonders of herbal medicine and the effects of healing magic with Aizuna and Katari?" she asked.

"Yeah . . ."

"Stick to it - it's far from being over in lectures."

_Geez, does news spread that damn fast? _"Of course . . ."

"Ah, there you are Inuyasha!" Shippou came bounding over. "Come on! You've made Aizuna and Katari wait long enough for you already!"

"Shut up, Shippou!" Inuyasha growled. He was getting fed up with the annoying little fox youkai. "You don't need to remind me so damn much!"

"Then stop wasting time and let's get going!"

-----

"He's here, Aizuna!" The hedgehog youkai looked up from his slouched position. "Stand up straight!"

With Katari's commanding tone of voice, the hedgehog wasted no time in doing as he was told. Besides, if Inuyasha caught him slacking off, it would greatly degrade the over all appearance of the counselors within the support grouping. Both of the counselors stood ready and waiting for the hanyou to approach them - he looked none too happy to be back with them, but the requirements of being a Demon Lord never was an easy path.

"Welcome back, Lord Inuyasha . . ." the lemony scent hit Katari's nostrils immediately. He didn't know whether he should back away from Inuyasha, or stand his ground. ". . . Are you prepared for the rest of the lessons?" Inuyasha noticed the discomfort on the youkai's face, so he obligingly backed away himself to let Katari have some breathing room. "Oh, ah, thank you, Lord Inuyasha."

"Don't mention it," Inuyasha replied. Even he was bothered by the smell, but there was no helping it, since he was the one who reeked of it.

"I'll be leading you through the rest of the session, Lord Inuyasha, and if we manage to finish it by today, then you will be shifted over to Kikoku, the counselor of warfare, tomorrow morning."

"That sounds a lot better than this." Inuyasha yowled when Shippou stubbed him on his right foot. "Owww, you stupid runt!"

"Watch your mouth . . ." Shippou blushed when Aizuna and Katari looked at him. _Geez . . . Inuyasha is such a pain . . ._

"Well," Aizuna looked up at Inuyasha, "let's go to the infirmary within the palace. From there I can show you how things are run in there, and what procedures we go through before patching up a patient." Inuyasha and Shippou were lead through a maze of hallways and corridors before they reached their destination. Before them was a large wooden door that seemed to be very old. It even had a musty smell to it when Inuyasha sniffed the air, but it was not as overpowering as the citrus smell that coated his body from head to toe. "The infirmary is beyond this door, my Lord. The door does seem to be old with age, but the reason we did not tear it down for a newer one is because this door is quite special. Way before my time, and even Katari's, there were a great many counselors who marked this door; in other words, instruments of magic and incantations have been waxed across its surface, and it makes for great protection in times of need."

"It looks like an ordinary old door to me, though," Inuyasha commented. "You say there's magic and whatnot on it, but I don't sense anything."

"Precisely. The door will only react if destruction should ever come near it," Aizuna said.

Inuyasha snorted. _Magical door, my ass._

"Regardless, let's go in," Katari interrupted.

Once inside Inuyasha and Shippou noticed that were mountains upon mountains of infirmary beds all lined up in a row of twos. What made it creepy was that everything was a pristine white, and there was no sound that the neither of them could detect - not even a mouse or bug scurrying about at all. The beds weren't their main concern, though, because they were led past them into another section of the infirmary that housed all the medications. Inuyasha quickly noticed that the area stunk of something he was not really familiar, too, and the smell here definitely overpowered the smell of the lemon scent on him.

"As you can see, we are at the storage area for the medicine and herbs. It's usually not empty at any time of the day, but since we are teaching you about this place the Minister of Support has asked all the counselors to evacuate for now until we were done. Here," Aizuna pointed to a low hard oak table, "is where most of the counselors place all the herbs and berries they've found when they're out traveling. Believe me, many new concoctions are made throughout the months, although some take longer than others to get brewed or grinded due to its density."

"What Aizuna is saying is that some herbs, roots, and berries are a lot tougher to work with than others. Depending on the nature of the plant, where it is grown, the thickness, dryness, moisture, and such, it can take the medicine a really long time to make or form," Katari explained. He noticed the confused expression on the hanyou's face, so he tool the liberty of breaking it down for him. _Lord Sesshoumaru has a great range of vocabulary. Something as simple as this could not be understood by his little brother? _"Do you understand now, my Lord?"

"Ye-yeah . . ." Inuyasha was angry that Katari was talking to him like he was some little kid. "So . . . Have we covered everything yet?"

"Of course not, Lord Inuyasha," Aizuna replied. Inuyasha sweat dropped - he had no idea that the Ministry of Support could go on and on like there was no sort of end in sight. "Next, I'll be letting you grace yourself in the presence of the many youkai who work under this division. I am sure that they are all eager to meet you up close in person. They have seen you upon your arrival, but it was from a distance."

"Remember to smile and act politely," Shippou said. Inuyasha punched him on the top of his head. "Ow!"

"That's payback for you stubbing my foot earlier."

Katari saw the entire exchange and he had to admit that the two made quite a pair when it came to disputes. Rough-housing was very uncommon among youkai of his own kind. When he was nothing more than a mere child, he was always taught along with the other children to not hit one another for the fun of it. That was not the way of the horse youkai, and it pertained to the many varying breeds of horse youkai throughout the land. He still clung closely to that belief and way of living, and have thus, never hit another youkai for petty reasons or spiteful revenge in his entire existence.

"Katari." Aizuna's eyebrows knitted together out of worry. "Katari."

"Yes?" The horse youkai suddenly looked up, almost bumping the front of his head with the tip of Aizuna's chin. His milky-white orbs seemed a little inkier in appearance, but the hedgehog youkai didn't think too much of it. "Is there something the matter?"

"No, nothing at all. Lord Inuyasha and Shippou have already gone on ahead, and I was wondering why you weren't following."

"I apologize for the hold-up. I'll be accompanying you now," Katari replied.

It seemed like he was so engrossed in his own thoughts about such a simple thing as hurting one another, that he totally forgot that their new Lord, his companion, and Aizuna were even with him. Then, just as if he was noticing the proximity of his and Aizuna's bodies for the first time, a light blush suddenly blanketed his entire face. In a rush to hide his embarrassment, Katari quickly turned the other way and tried to calm himself down.

"Katari?" Aizuna obviously noticed the blush.

_I must calm down before this gets any worse. I mustn't let him realize just yet. Am I being too straightforward with my feelings?_

"Katari, are you--"

"I'm fine, really." Katari realized he blurted this out before he even thought it over, but it seemed like the correct thing to say at the moment. At least to the horse youkai, anyway.

"You didn't let me finish. I was going to ask if you were all right with going through the rest of the session with Lord Inuyasha and I."

Katari could feel his cheeks heating up all the redder. He completely made a fool out of himself in front of Aizuna, yet he could only wonder if Aizuna interpreted it that way.

"Ah, yes, I am able to finish it."

Inuyasha and Shippou were already being ogled by the many female counselors that worked under the Ministry of Support, because by the time Aizuna and Katari made it to where they were, the two hapless youkai were surrounded. Inuyasha couldn't look any less comfortable than he already was, and Shippou wormed his way free by transforming into a medium-sized pink blob.

"Dammit, back the hell off!" Inuyasha shouted, when his touch-o-meter sky-rocketed past the roof of this palace. "Since when did I say it was all right to flock around me like love-sick animals?" All of the female counselors immediately backed away, while the male ones stepped forward ever so slightly.

"They were doing no such thing as that, Lord Inuyasha," Aizuna said. "Smell yourself for a minute."

"Why?" Inuyasha couldn't or rather he wouldn't bow to the whims of this bastard counselor. Yet, just as he ducked his head down ever so slowly for a sniff did he notice the scent of the citrus gone. "Hey . . . The lemony smell is . . ."

"Gone," one of the male counselors stated. "The counselors you were so ungraciously yelling at were simply applying some magical remedy on you to rid your body of that stench. However, in order for the magic to work, they had to touch you, but apparently, my Lord, you took their actions in the wrong way."

"Oh, so that was what it was . . ." Shippou didn't notice their true intentions, either. A purplish cloud of smoke surrounded his pink blobby body, before he was back to his normal self again. "Although it does make sense to ask only the female counselors to touch you, Inuyasha."

One of the female counselors went forward and bowed deeply. "I speak on behalf of us all. We are sorry to have angered you, my Lord."

"It was no big deal. Next time, just make sure to warn me first."

"Understood," she replied.

"Well, then, line up, everyone and announce yourselves properly to our new Lord," Aizuna commanded.

-----

Rin was pacing back and forth inside Lord Sesshoumaru's study, and it was driving Jaken insane that she was even allowed entry in the first place. He hobbled after her every step, as he barked out insistent commands for her to leave the study, but it seemed very likely that she was not going to budge from this room anytime soon. It wasn't only that they weren't allowed permission to be in here, but the parchments on the study table was bothering the toad demon a great deal. He still remembered what he caught a glimpse of what was on it. It was clearly by accident, yet now that he knew of that one word, he couldn't stop his mind from wandering to different scenarios ever since.

"Rin, I shouldn't have to remind you that we aren't allowed entry when Lord Sesshoumaru is away!" Rin continued to pace back and forth. "Rin, are you even listening to me? Rin!"

"Be quite, Jaken. I'm trying to think."

After all his yelling and bullying, Rin finally took the time to silence him with a few words. A mere two simple sentences was all she needed, really. She was eager to meet their new Lord, which was Lord Sesshoumaru's younger sibling, but she was also well aware that Sesshoumaru wasn't here in the palace either. Nothing could keep her mind off the Demon Lord, and she was agonizingly realizing that she missed him more and more as the days drew on. Her faith was starting to relent, and somewhere deep within herself she feared that she'd never see Sesshoumaru ever again.

"Rin--"

"Jaken," Rin stopped pacing so she could face the toad fully, "Lord Sesshoumaru will come back, won't he? This room won't become desolate and cold one day, will it?"

"O-of course not! Lord Sesshoumaru will return!"

"Will he, really?"

"Yes, Rin."

"Really, really?"

"I'm not going to play that stupid game with you; especially not now. Let's get out of here before Surin spots you, understand?" Jaken tugged at one of the girl's small hands. "Come on, now."

"Maybe when I meet our new Lord he might have some idea as to where Lord Sesshoumaru is," Rin said to herself more than to Jaken.

Clinging onto that tiny glimmer of hope alone, Rin finally exited the room, much to Jaken's relief.

-----

Kikyou didn't know how long she had been sleeping, but from the beams of light coming through the window, she was sure that it was well beyond the morning hours. Upon further inspection, though, she then realized that it was really close to becoming evening time. Feeling quite refreshed and exhausted at the same time, Kikyou rose from the bed to stretch her aching limbs. Being alive was a wonderful thing, but she wasn't a foolish woman. Coming back from the dead usually had its consequences one way or another. The only question was: who suffered the most damage?

_Tsume appeared to be unconcerned on her part. A youkai like her would have given up one of her precious eggs to perform such an act as raising the dead to become a part of the living realm. Losing an egg would affect her health greatly, yet why did she not ail like a bird youkai would? There is something very mysterious about her character._

Kikyou had the mind to leave her sleeping quarter; she was no longer dead, and the living usually got hungry after a certain amount of time. As a spirit she did eat, but not what a normal human being would have eaten, though. Whenever she got hungry or weak, her soul collectors would fly off somewhere to retrieve some spirits for her, so she never had to be at a certain place or time for her meals. Adjusting to the human realm of life was going to take some time getting used to again, since she had been dead for so long.

Her stomach growled, but she didn't want to go outside this room in fear of running into Inuyasha. She didn't want him to know just yet. Hunger wasn't something new to her, though, so she felt that she could wait it out a little while longer.

"Being alive . . ." Kikyou said to herself. She touched her hands to her either side of her cheeks. ". . . it is a wonderful thing, isn't it? Death may be always calling, but the will of living can conquer it. Human strength can go a long way - I have witnessed such willpower throughout the years. May I possess such traits to live a long life as a human."

Kikyou momentarily stilled when her bedroom door opened. She remembered telling Tsume to put up one of her barriers with a talisman, so how could anyone enter? The door did open, but no one entered immediately. Kikyou waited to see who the intruder was.

When no one was coming in, she stated, "who goes there? Show yourself."

A young girl appealed to her. "Oh, ah, I must have gotten the wrong room. I'm so sorry. I'll close this door right away."

_Ah, a human child. Yes, that makes sense as to why she was able to get through my barrier unharmed. _"You must be Lady Rin."

"You've heard of me?" Rin asked. She halted where she was by the doorway. Kikyou smiled and nodded. "You must be Lady Kikyou, then?" The priestess nodded once more. "Wow," the child's eyes lighted up considerably, "it's a great honor to meet you!"

"The pleasure is mine, as well."

"Surin told me that you weren't exactly human, but she didn't tell me what you really are, either. Yet, you look human right now."

"Yes, she was quite right about that," Kikyou replied. _I was once dead, but am no more._ "However, I am human now. Is that answer enough for you, Lady Rin?"

"Yup. You have a glowing face that sparkles with life. There's no mistaking it that you are human, and is very much alive."

To Be Continued!


	14. XIV: Whatever the Reason

Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to own the characters they all belong to Rumiko Takahashi, not me.

A/N: Hmmm, I think I'm making Sesshoumaru a little too one-sided with the way he thinks, or do you guys think he's fine the way he is? (Opinions are welcomed, but it does not mean I will abide by them, if at all any . . .) XD Please enjoy, read, and review. Thank you!

A Gap Across Time

XIV: Whatever the Reason

Kagome was agitated - she bit her lower lip constantly with the forefront of her top teeth - she was contemplating on what she could do to help Sesshoumaru recover. So far everything she thought of didn't seem like they were going to work, and she was coming close to running out of options altogether. It's been several days since she declared that she'd try one last time to help the taiyoukai, and as the day passed the demon Lord's condition was becoming worse. He'd gone into another lapse of being unable to speak; Kagome was sure of it because Sesshoumaru never wasted a moment to backhand her with words when he thought it was necessary. However, for the past two days he hadn't uttered a single word to her, and it was then that she realized something was wrong.

Right now he was peacefully resting in her mother's bedroom on her mother's bed. The stain on the floor wasn't as visible as before, because Kagome made sure to give it a thorough scrubbing ever since the day she got back from the hospital. Sesshoumaru could still smell the caked blood on the carpet though, whether Kagome was aware of that fact or not. Her room was also considered a no-entry-zone and she hadn't the time or energy to clean it; her brother and grandpa shared Souta's room together, and her mother slept on the couch in the living room. Kagome slept in the same room as Sesshoumaru, although they didn't share the same bed; she sleeps in a sleeping bag on the bedroom floor.

As to where Kagome was situated right now, she was with her grandpa, mother, and brother in the living room. Family gatherings such as these were rare and few in between ever since the arrival of the taiyoukai - he usually took up most of Kagome's time because he needed constant attention. He wasn't willing to admit to that, but Kagome could say in the least that he might have appreciated her efforts to help. The troubled teen was feeling guilty that her mother had to sleep in the living room, so she tried to make some accommodations.

"Hey, mom, I don't think it's fair that you have to sleep on the couch every night," Kagome suddenly said. She broke the silence that befell the family as they watched a movie together. "If you'd like, we can trade sleeping places."

"It'd be better if you're with him instead of me," Mrs. Higurashi replied.

_I guess it can't be helped. _"If you're okay with sleeping down here, then I guess there's nothing I can do to persuade you otherwise?" Kagome asked. Her mother smiled and shook her head. "I'm gonna go check up on him." _Just as I thought . . ._

"Just be back soon," her grandpa said, "because you don't want to miss the best part of the movie."

"Got it, grandpa."

-----

Sesshoumaru was sleeping when Kagome first stepped foot inside the room, but the closed eyelids of the taiyoukai did not stay shut for long, because before Kagome even realized it, he was wide awake and was very much staring at her. For one split moment Kagome had the mindset to turn around and leave the room, yet she knew that she came inside this room for a purpose. She shouldn't turn back - a cause has to come before an effect - she couldn't leave knowing that she hasn't done what she had intended to do in the first place.

"Sesshoumaru . . ." Kagome was weary of the cold, hard stare she is receiving. ". . . is your voice still not back yet?"

_How insistent must she be? Giving up is always an option no matter how cowardly it may all seem. _Sesshoumaru slightly tilted his head down and then back up to indicate that he was saying 'no'. Kagome didn't quite understand the gesture; she was giving him a confused look that clearly said that she was not understanding him. _Blasphemy! Such a simple motion should be understood by all - this human girl is beyond being brainless._

_Well, seems like I've made him mad . . . _Kagome could tell that Sesshoumaru was becoming annoyed. "Um, would you like to eat anything? Lunch time has already passed." Sesshoumaru made no notion to nod or shake his head. "Your response?"

"Leave me be; I need not your attention," Sesshoumaru said.

"Your voice!" _When did he regain it? _"Since when?"

"Silence, woman!" Sesshoumaru could hear his own voice rising, but exactly for what reason? Was there even a need to shout at the incompetent girl before him? Why did she make his blood boil so? How can she affect him so easily? Was he not a heartless and a down-to-earth ruler of the kingdom to the lands of the west, back in the feudal era? Indeed, he was. "You confuse me! You feed me poison from your heart! You are a tainted thing of what is to come!"

"What are you talking about?" Kagome was baffled. The redness coming to the taiyoukai's pupils was scaring her - it looked like he was ready to transform. "How am I something tainted? How can this be something to come?"

Sesshoumaru doesn't want to admit it - Kagome drove him mad with something he could not explain - which he did not entirely dislike, but it was quite bothersome. A solution needed to come. Yes, something needed to be done.

_What power does she possess? Such sorcery! _"A tainted priestess you are . . ."

"How am I tainted? Give me a good reason for your assumption!"

"Do not question me! You have not the right nor the will!" Sesshoumaru's last ounce of control was disappearing - he could feel his demonic side coming forth. If he were to erupt now, it would definitely be something catastrophic. "Immorality! Destruction is inevitable! Seethe the day you were born!"

Kagome screamed a blood-curdling scream. Within a moment all became calm and still - several footsteps could be heard. Mrs. Higurashi, Souta, and their grandpa came to see what the shouting and yelling was all about. Somehow, this seemed like a replay of something that had happened once before - Kagome having her throat slit crossed each of the family member's minds; surely, something like that was not going to happen again? The first person to appear inside the room was Souta, because he was far younger and faster than his mother and grandpa.

"Kagome!" Souta called, just as soon as Mrs. Higurashi and their grandpa got to the bedroom door. "Get away from him!"

And thus . . . A second uproar has happened.

"Mom, guys, everyone don't come any closer!" Kagome warned. She was pinned against the bedroom wall by one of Sesshoumaru's strong, clawed hands. The demon Lord was trembling so violently that the Higurashis' who were watching the ordeal unfold thought it to be rather painful. "Sesshoumaru is not capable of controlling what he does at this point! No matter what happens, I want none of you to come close, got it?"

"Are you stupid?" Kagome's grandpa cried. "He's about ready to rip your throat out! I can't simply stand by and do nothing to save my granddaughter!"

"Kagome," Souta was looking desperately from the taiyoukai's face and then back at his sister's, "you can't die yet!"

"I never said I was going to die! Stay calm, Souta!" _Dammit! Why did I let it get this far! _"And mom, despite what is happening, I just want you to know that I think Sesshoumaru is not a bad demon, really." Mrs. Higurashi remained silent, but she nodded her head in acknowledgement to her daughter's statement. "I'm sure that he won't kill me - I can feel his hand slackening in grip."

"Say something! Say anything! Make him let you go!" Their grandpa was literally pulling out what remaining hair he has due to all the building tension.

"Sesshoumaru . . ." Kagome stared at him straight in the eyes - hers were a watery wood-brown, while his were a icy blue. ". . . Please, let me go. This is not your intent . . . I see no real malice behind your eyes. Listen to me . . ." Kagome sighed a sigh of relief when Sesshoumaru's hand slowly, but surely left her throat. ". . . Calm down," Sesshoumaru's eyes wandered to that of her family's when he could no longer bear to see the girl's intense gaze, "and look only at me, Sesshoumaru," Kagome even dared to raise one hand to push gently push at his cheek, "only at me . . ."

The red and blue colors of Sesshoumaru's demonic heritage started to fade from his eyes - he was reverting back to normal. And an expression that was a mix between sadness and confusion had Kagome guessing which one he was really feeling. Right at that moment her grandpa gave out a cry and wrapped his old, wrinkly arms around his grandson and son's wife. Tears of relief flowed from his eyes.

"Is it . . . all . . . over?" Souta asked, between gasps when his grandpa kept jostling him.

"Yeah, I think so," Kagome replied. She gently held onto Sesshoumaru when he gripped at the front of her shirt ever so tightly. She did not mind that the side of his wrists were touching her bosom, because that was the least of her concerns and Sesshoumaru was not a pervert, unlike some lecherous monk she has come to know.

"I'm glad that nothing drastic happened," Mrs. Higurashi said, finally speaking for the first time. "Although, Kagome, I will admit that I fear for you life more than ever before now, and it'd be best if you get him back to the other side as soon as possible."

"I know mom . . . I know."

-----

Rin ended up staying with Kikyou inside her room, and the both of them talked amiably about many, many things. How vibrant and full of life the child known as Rin was. She told the once deceased priestess of all her adventures and the many things she's done with the taiyoukai of this enormous palace. Based on what Rin said, Kikyou was finding it hard to believe the child's every word, but with such a genuine smile and down-to-earth nature, surely the child can hold a huge difference between a liar and a person who told wonders with a great many truths.

"Is that so?" Kikyou concluded. "That must have been wonderful."

"Oh, it was! He actually gave me a zinnia! A red one, too, since red is my favorite color!" Rin was glowing with warmth by the mere memory of it. She didn't notice the softening expression coming to Kikyou's face, but it did not matter. "What is your favorite color, Lady Kikyou?"

That question caught Kikyou by surprise, because she did not answer right away but instead stared at Rin. The child did not think too much of the priestess's shock and simply waited for an answer. "My favorite color is yellow. That color reminds me of the sun and all that it has is a known strength that keeps everything alive."

"Zinnias come in the color yellow, too! I'll make sure to pick you some yellow ones whenever I shall come across any!"

"You needn't do that and burden yourself over me," Kikyou said.

"It's not a problem! I like to pick flowers!" Rin wasn't easily dissuaded, so it seems. "Besides, we are friends now, aren't we?"

"Friends?" _We've only met . . ._

"Yup!"

"Lady Rin, by any chance have you seen Inuyasha anywhere?"

"Ehmmmm." Rin scrunched up her face as she delved into deep thinking. "I saw him a little while ago, but I didn't get the chance to talk to him because he was running so fast. Will I ever see him? He always seems so busy with the counselors."

"A time will eventually come. You just need to wait for it . . ."

-----

By the time Sesshoumaru came to, Kagome was sitting on a chair by the bed as she nonchalantly gazed out the window. The gentle sunlight filtered in and pooled all around her, giving off a somewhat beautiful glow. The only thing the taiyoukai remembered was him yelling at her and then attempting to harm her, but as to if he really harmed her or not he did not know. From her position by the window she looked uninjured, but anything could be lurking beneath her clothes, may they be bruises or cuts of any size.

_She confuses me. Her emotions dissuade me from acting out my true purpose here. How is it so? _"Woman," Sesshoumaru breathed. Kagome did not turn to look at him - she was in deep thought. "Woman," Sesshoumaru said, a little louder this time.

"Yes?" Kagome turned to face him, surprising the demon Lord that she was not angry that he was addressing her in such a way. She always used to be annoyed by that word, why was it that she did not care for it now? _Act as if nothing happened, Kagome, because he does not need to know that he's tried to kill me a second time and failed. Who knows what the results may be if I told him! Would he try a third time? _"Do you need something?"

"Send me back to the other side," was Sesshoumaru's response and only concern at the moment.

"I would if I could. I haven't had the time to go out there to investigate it, since I had to waste all my time cleaning my mother's room. You wrecked some things in there, so you're back inside my room, if you haven't noticed yet."

Sesshoumaru looked around then and realized that he was indeed in Kagome's room once more. Her scent was everywhere, but he didn't even acknowledge such a thing until the girl mentioned it. He was starting to become irritable at the fact that this human girl was not putting him at her top-to-do list; it was much more important that he returned to the other side and back to his palace where he could rest at relative ease. Well, at least more at ease there than he is here.

"I'm sorry. You must be angry with me, aren't you? If you'd like, I can go look at the well now."

"Go, then."

Kagome nodded and stood as if to leave the room, but when she came by the bedside, she turned to look at Sesshoumaru. Their eyes met and neither being said anything for a really long time. Kagome was trying to discern her own confused feelings about the taiyoukai, and the taiyoukai was puzzled at the fact that she was staring at him so intensely. What made her feel so attached to this demon Lord all of a sudden? He seems less annoying and more comforting when his presence was near hers. The sudden feeling of being unable to breathe the other day, and with just a small touch he was able to soothe her so quickly. At that time, she never felt so glad that he was there beside her.

Yet, this feeling now . . . What could it be?

"Um . . ."

"Don't stare at me and simply mutter nonsense," Sesshoumaru snapped, angrily.

_Maybe what I am feeling is something totally unrelated to what I think it is. _Kagome could feel her face growing hot, and she deftly turned away from Sesshoumaru so he would not see it. "Um . . . I'll go look at the well now. I'll be back soon."

Kagome dashed out of the room before Sesshoumaru could say anything to her.

When finally at the well Kagome made a startling revelation to herself, as she sat at the edge of the well's opening. "I think I'm in love with him. In this short time that I've come to know him, I think it has become love that I feel for him." _I can't believe I'm telling myself this! _Kagome clamped both of her hands to her mouth when she heard some rustling sounds mixed in with Souta's voice. _I feel this is a welcoming feeling. In love . . . What does it really mean to be in love, anyway? Wasn't my affection aimed towards Inuyasha, or was it something completely different? _Kagome continued to sit there and ponder out her thoughts and feelings.

It is now a definite truth that Kagome has fallen in love with the taiyoukai. The only problem is that she fears she can never tell him. Will her devotion for him go unrequited? For whatever reasons . . . Should she even confess? What sort of reasons can there be for her to tell him? Why would it matter so?

"Buyo, no, not there!"

Kagome could tell that their house cat was coming towards the well and she was going to be discovered if Souta comes inside. The only thing she could think of was to jump down in the well and hide there for the time being. Yet, it seems like jumping into the well was her mistake, because before she knew it she was starting to fall into nothingness.

_No! Not now! Sesshoumaru must go back, too! No, take me back!_

It was too late.

Kagome climbed out of the well to see that she was back in feudal Japan . . . without Sesshoumaru, apparently. The strangest thing happened though when she first stood up and took one step. Some emanating aura blew right past her and right into the well. Gasping, Kagome turned around as fast as she could so that she was able to peer down into the well. She couldn't see anything, but she could definitely feel something and it didn't seem too inviting. She had the urge to jump in in the hopes that she could go back, but the aura made her too weary to do so.

A voice of someone familiar startled her, though. "Kagome, it's a surprise to see you here."

"Miroku?" Kagome turned around once more to face the other direction.

"You look a little white in the face." Miroku took a few steps towards her, but then suddenly stopped, slightly grimacing (although Kagome did not notice this). "Are you all right?"

"Where's Inuyasha and the others?" Kagome asked, ignoring Miroku's question.

"He's with the others somewhere, but I'm not sure where they went."

"Did they ditch you again?" Kagome started to get that I-know-what-you-tried-to-do-lecherous-monk look. "Were you chasing after girls again?" For now it seems like her mind was off of Sesshoumaru since Miroku showed up.

"Ahahahaha, how'd you guess?"

"It's obvious . . ."

"Well . . . Shall we get going?"

"Wait . . . I need to go back to the other side! Sesshoumaru's still over there!"

"He's alive?" _I was sure he was done for . . ._

"Of course! And I need to go back!"

"Wait. Don't be so hasty, Kagome. I advise that you get away from the well, because it has an unpleasant aura emitting from it. It might be dangerous if you stay there any longer."

"O-okay . . ."

However, when Kagome was standing right beside the monk she felt that something wasn't quite right about him. Even he had a strange aura surrounding him and Kagome did not hesitate to jump away as fast as she could. Miroku merely looked at her, surprised that she'd suddenly move away. Despite the appearance of the monk, Kagome knew there was something seriously wrong with him - he's not the Miroku she came to know, she was sure of it.

"What?" Miroku asked.

"You're not Miroku."

"I am. Can't you see me simply standing here?"

"There's something weird about you. The aura that you resonate . . ."

_Damn, she detected it? Is she that powerful of a priestess? _"I have no idea as to what you are talking about."

"Where is he? Give me back the real Miroku!"

"Heh, seems like there's no fooling you at this point, is there?" A evil grin came to Miroku's face. "Well then, prepare to die!"

To Be Continued!


	15. XV: Misfortune After Misfortune

Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to own the characters they all belong to Rumiko Takahashi, not me.

A/N: You guys probably don't wanna read about her, but I can't leave her in a standstill forever! She threatened me with her enormous boomerang if I was to hold her part up any longer! Please bear with this and Sango, as of the others, (are important characters) because this story does not only revolve around Sesshoumaru and Kagome, after all. XD Thanks a bunch if you read this chapter and review:3

A Gap Across Time

XV: Misfortune After Misfortune

"Is everything ready?" Sango looked from villager to villager, making sure that she received a nod from the ones being addressed. "I guess I'm being a little strict, but if we are to organize this and make sure that it works successfully, then I have to be this way."

"Ohohoho, it's not a problem! Isn't that right, guys?" someone said.

Most of the villagers taking part in the extermination project guffawed and cheered. Sango could do little other than to nod and smile as politely as she could. She was very aware of the fact that not everyone was cheering and laughing merrily, in all actuality, she could spot several people leering at her. Likewise, Sango tried her best to ignore them - perhaps they'd be grateful once the demons were destroyed . . .

It didn't take long until Sango and company reached the summit of the so called demon infested hill. At first there was no sign of anything, but everyone was quite tense, not letting the relaxed atmosphere fool them lest they were asking for an early death. Sango eyes narrowed as she stared down at a certain spot in dirt, she could detect something there that did not belong. Unsheathing her gigantic boomerang, she warned, "everyone get back." All obeyed and silently watched. Right when Sango threw her boomerang, did the demon (several still hidden) decide to make itself known to the villagers. Everyone gasped and stared in amazement. "Don't let its appearance fool you! Stand your ground and get ready because more of them will be coming towards us soon!"

Sango easily killed an oncoming demon that tried to bite her head off, but some of the villagers were not as lucky. Many, as sad as it may seem to say, were not opted for combat, despite all the training they had gone through . . . It amounted to nothing when they let fear seize their bodies.

"Aaauuuuhhhhhhh!" a villager screamed his last breath, falling dead even before his body met the earth beneath him.

"Motoki!" another villager cried out.

"Eeeegggghhhhh!" A demon howled in agony as it dissipated into nothingness. Sango jumped back a few steps before retrieving her weapon. "Do not be afraid! Don't you all want to save your village? Your loved ones? Avenge the dead? Don't you all want to?"

"They're too strong! We must pull back!" one villager shouted.

"No! We shall not leave until every last one them is dead!" Anki refuted, brandishing her sword wildly, as she swung at a oncoming demon. "I will make them all pay! Every last one of them will not escape me until I am satisfied!"

Sango was surprised that such a woman like her could exist - Anki was so aggressive and she knew what she exactly wanted. Why couldn't Sango be that way? If she wanted to retrieve Miroku, couldn't she just go out searching for him until the end of her last days here on this earth? Would it be foolish to be attached to such a man whom she's never experienced romantic relations with, not even once in all the time she's come to know him? _I mustn't give up and stop trying. He surely must be out there somewhere . . ._

By the time their little war has ended, some of the villagers were slain, others fatally wounded, with the probable cause of never fully recovering again. Seeing such said people in the masses made the demon exterminator feel bad, and she now thought that she shouldn't have pushed them so hard. Many, so to say, were not as skilled in battle as she was - she was forgetting that she was not dealing with fellow demon exterminators, but simple folk villagers that harbored angry feelings. Anki, on the other hand, showed great courage during the battle sequence and she killed a great amount of demons before falling back due to exhaustion. However, they managed to succeed and each villager that went out to fight felt both proud and sad. Loved ones were lost, after all.

"You all did good out there," Sango praised, thinking that most of the villagers would cheer.

"It's all your fault that my husband's dead!" a female villager shouted. "We should have pulled back when the demons became too overpowering! It's all your fault that people are dying, suffering agonizingly before leaving us! Is this what you can praise about?"

"I . . ." _Revenge clouded my mind and hindered my thoughts. Did Miroku's disappearance drive me on?_

Anki stepped forward, glaring at the outspoken woman angrily. "She is not the only one to blame; I was also telling everyone to stand their ground and fight. I was more so of being against retreating." The woman she was addressing grimaced. "You should be honored that he tried his best for this village. Don't dwell on his death and become a bitter old widow - look at you - what would your children think of you?"

Kaede came out into the scene then. "Will you all stop arguing, and the ones with medicinal experience come with me. We need to tend to the wounded immediately, not let them lie there in pain until they die." Several onlookers looked at her and a few of them stepped forward, heads bowed. Kaede had a point and it was only justifiable that they help the injured. "Sango, it's more than enough that you even helped this village. You needn't feel guilty for anything."

Sango wanted to amend by the old priestess's words, but somehow she felt that she wasn't in the right of way to do so. She tried her best to smile and nodded her head. Kirara could sense the distress in her master, so she lightly nuzzled her on the left cheek. "Kaede," the old woman turned to look at her, "let me help treat the wounds of the injured." Kaede nodded. "There really isn't much more that I can do other than that."

"All's well ends well, as some people like to say. We may have some causalities, but losing a few lives for the sake of the villages entire safety should not be such a bad loss."

"I suppose so . . ." _But will the other villagers see it the way as you do, Kaede?_

_-----_

Beads of sweat dripped down Sango's face, she didn't know that it could be so tiring to take care of the wounded. As soon as she was done tending to one patient she had to quickly move on to another one. She worked well into the night before Kaede told her to stop, or else she was going to overexert herself.

"We wouldn't want you getting sick," Kaede told Sango.

The exterminator lightly smiled. "No, that wouldn't be a good idea. I'll make sure to get up early the next morning, so I can continue to assist you." The old priestess shook her head. "Hm? Would that not be a good idea?"

"I know you have no intention of staying long here in this village, so it'd be best if you leave tomorrow, lest you want the villagers to become too attached to you. If that were to happen it shall be difficult to persuade the townsfolk to let you go, understand?" Sango was bewildered - such a strange thing Kaede was telling her - very strange, indeed. "As strange as it all may sound I am only saying it out of the best interests for you."

"If you insist so diligently, then I have no choice in the matter, do I?" Sango questioned. She gazed at the fire burning in the center of the room, eyes glowing a beautiful golden brown from the lighting provided. "However, I'd like to say goodbye and thank everyone tomorrow before I leave."

"That can be done," Kaede replied. "Now go to sleep because I am about to put out the fire."

The next morning Sango rose bright and early, feeling a bit refreshed and energized from the previous day's excursions. Kirara was just as ready-to-go-lucky as her Master, and she did not hesitate to transform into her big feline form. Sango patted her gently on the back and walked out of the tent, thinking she should go freshen up. What greeted her outside was not something she quite expected though. A human severed arm was lying several feet away from where she was standing - there was also a trail of blood following behind the arm - it must have been dragged here, so it seems. Kirara growled, fur standing on end; she was sensing a demonic presence close by.

"What is it, Kirara?" Sango asked, eyes looking this way and that. _Can it be the remaining demons from yesterday? Did they come here and kill? _"Do you sense anything near by?"

"Meeeoooowwww."

"My child! My precious child is no more!" a woman wailed, emerging from her tent with a bloodied bundle of what appeared to be a baby. From what Sango could make of it, the poor thing looked far beyond recognition and what looked like a piece of lung or intestine was hanging from the blanket, dangling helplessly. "Someone came in the dead of night and murdered my child without my noticing it! Who could have done such a thing!"

"Someone help me! I awake from my bed to see that my entire family has been slaughtered! Why was I not taken down with them! Someone help me! Someone tell me why!"

Sango was getting more and more confused as wailings of grief greeted itself to her from left to right. Amid all this chaos there was no sign of Kaede, and it made Sango wonder if this had anything to do with what the old woman told her last night. She wasn't definite in her suspicions, yet if Kaede was not around, then where could she be as of right now?

_What's going on? Why have a select few been spared from the gruesome raid, if that's what I could even call it. _

"Meeeoooowww!" Kirara leaped into the air and bounded in the direction of Sango's left.

"Kirara, wait!"

Sango made the toughest decision yet. She had to choose whether to stay here with the villagers or chase after Kirara. She chose the latter and ran across the lush green grass after her feline friend. They didn't go very far until they reached the bone eater's well, and saw none other than Kagome and Miroku.

Kagome gasped out of surprise. "Sango!"

Sango was just as equally surprised by what she was seeing. Is Miroku live and well? Is he not standing right where Kagome is right this very minute? "Miroku! Kagome! Are the two of you okay?" Sango made to run forward but Kirara blocked her way as she growled at her owner. Sango frowned, not understanding why Kirara would behave this way. "What's the matter, Kirara?"

"Miroku's not himself," Kagome supplied, "or at least this might not even be Miroku 's body at all."

"What do you mean?" Sango asked.

"How meddlesome." The figure that supposedly looked like Miroku scoffed, ornately irritated that he was interrupted from killing. "Do you want to die along with her?"

"What are you talking about, Miroku? What's the matter with you?" The demon exterminator looked from Kagome to Miroku, and then back again. _Is what Kagome is saying true? Is he really not Miroku? _It pained the dark-haired woman to think that the person was the monk she knew and loved . . . "Where's the real Miroku?"

Sango only hoped that he was not dead.

"He's sleeping," the Miroku imposter pointed to his chest, "in here. I've made it that he'll never wake up again unless you kill me. However, if you kill me while I am occupying his body, then you will lose this precious monk of yours as well." Sango snarled, feeling angry that she was being toyed around with like this. Was there not another way to destroy the demon and save Miroku's life? "Now be good little girls and stay still while I slit your throats."

Kirara was about to lunge forward but Sango barked, "no, Kirara! You mustn't hurt Miroku's body!"

"Meeooowww . . ."

Kagome knew that as long as she was within the demon's range of accessible reach, there was nothing Sango could do if her life was threatened along with Miroku's. The only thing she could think of doing was running forward, head butting the demon and dashing to Sango's side as fast as she could before the demon could recover from such a dazing blow. As she executed her plan everything worked perfectly, except for the fact that she tripped on a uprooted tree branch, and this was where she wasn't so sure how things were going to turn out.

_Crap! I was so close, too! _Kagome was thinking at any second that the demon was going to slay her but that wasn't the case. Before the demon could even reach her Kirara had bit the nape of her shirt collar and hauled her into the air. "Thanks, Kirara!" Kagome was filling quite relieved.

Sango, who was riding on Kirara's back said, "what's happened to Miroku?"

"I'm not sure," Kagome replied. "At first he tried to act like the monk we know, but then I sensed that something was not quite right about him. He had a different aura surrounding him, and right when he was about to kill me, you and Kirara came through the thicket of trees."

"I'm glad that we came at the time that we did."

"More than being concerned about me, how did Miroku end up being possessed?"

"He was captured a while back when he and I were camping out in a clearing." Sango didn't really want to recall the incident, but she wanted to tell Kagome what exactly happened. "He and I were ambushed by this snake demon . . . I think he overheard what Miroku and I were talking about. And at the time," Sango could feel tears welling up in her eyes, "I couldn't even do anything to save him. I felt so helpless."

"What occurred then wasn't your fault; I think Miroku would say the same thing if he was himself right now," Kagome said.

"Meeowwww."

"Kirara's right, this is not the time to be chatting. We've got to save Miroku!"

The Miroku imposter was looking at them from the ground, and he was getting more and more annoyed when the trio did not look like they were coming down anytime soon. "Are you all cowards? Are you all afraid to face the almighty Darekai, snake demon lord of the vipers?"

"Give us back Miroku!" Sango called from the air.

"Come! Take him from me if you can!"

-----

_What is taking that woman so long?_ Sesshoumaru was not known as one with little patience, but he had little patience when it came to going home (especially when he was not in the right timeframe). _Should it become a whole day's task just to check that god forsaken thing? Humans are so slow._ Sesshoumaru sat up in bed slowly, while at the same time he was staring at the bedroom door. He was expecting Kagome to turn the knob, come inside, and report back to him at any moment, but as he waited and waited, she did not show herself to him.

Back downstairs Mrs. Higurashi was starting to get worried. "Souta, have you seen your sister anywhere?"

"Nope. Try asking grandpa, because he might know."

"I would but he's gone out for the rest of the day."

"Didn't Kagome go with him, then?" Mrs. Higurashi shrugged at her son's question. "Although the last time I saw her, she was going upstairs. Probably to check up on Sesshoumaru."

"Shouldn't we go up there and check?" Mrs. Higurashi and her son said in unison - they exchanged glances.

-----

Sango leapt down from Kirara's back and stood before the possessed monk, contemplating whether she should attack him or not. _If he does come back around to being himself, he should be able to handle some pain . . . Well, I don't see any other way in stopping him, so . . . _"Forgive me, Miroku, but you'll thank me once you are yourself again!" Sango swung her boomerang forward, making as if she was going to throw it, but she didn't. A large gust of dirt and debris flew into the air, blinding her opponent. This was the chance she needed, and she ran forward, boomerang poised above her head as she brought it down on Miroku's right shoulder, clearly knocking him onto the ground. He cried out in pain and anguish. "Kagome, I think I'm going to need your help!"

"All-all right!" Kirara flew down to the ground and let Kagome off. "What would you like me to do?"

"You have the powers of a priestess," Sango held Miroku down when he tried to get up, "and I think that you might be able to expel this demon outside of Miroku's body."

Unsure of how she was going to do this all Kagome did was place a palm to the monk's chest. A sudden surge of demonic aura engulfed her hand, but she did not retreat and continued to leave her hand there. Sango watched on with worried tension, hands balling into fists. After several more seconds Kagome could feel that the evil aura was gone, having evaporated into the sky. She sighed and pulled again, falling back onto the heels of her shoes.

"I think the demon's gone because I don't sense a evil presence anymore."

"Miroku?" Sango went closer towards the monk and stared down at his face.

Miroku's expression made him look like he was in deep pain, but that all went past him when he slowly opened his eyes, looking quite bewildered at best. The first person he saw was Sango, and then his gaze went to that of Kagome and Kirara. "What's going on? Didn't--"

"Hush, Miroku." Miroku's expression went from surprise to confusion when the demon exterminator hugged him, making him gag for breath (momentarily). Kagome wasn't really sure what was exactly going on, so she opted to stand there and watch. "I'm just so glad that you're alive and safe. On the day that you were captured I was looking for you." Miroku could feel hot tears dripping onto his neck. He looked at Kagome, as if wanting her to clear something up for him. He had no recollection of what happened, and thus, was having a hell of a time understanding what Sango was telling him. "You aren't hurt too badly, are you?"

"Hurt?" Now that Sango mentioned it, Miroku could feel a sharp jabbing sensation on his right shoulder and he grimaced from the pain. "My shoulder hurts . . ."

"Meeeoowwww." Kirara de-transformed and walked up to her Master. "Meoooww."

"Well . . ." Kagome hated to interrupt, but she has her own concerns and needs, too. ". . . I don't really know what's happening either, but I seriously need to go back to my time."

Sango drew away, finally noticing that she was embracing Miroku (a little to intimately for the shy girl) and prompted herself to standing up straight - Kirara looked up at her, wanting to be picked up. She complied and placed Kirara onto one of her shoulders. "I need to go back to the village."

"What village?" Miroku asked.

"Kaede's village!" Realization dawned on the dark-haired woman. "There are injured people there! The demons might've returned by now!"

Kagome and Miroku had no choice but to follow the gutsy woman as she ran down the length of the grass, and into the forested area. It took them several minutes before they came out into a clearing, right where the dirt pathway presented itself to them. From where they were standing they could see the peak of houses and greenery that the villagers grew from atop a hillside not too far from where they were residing. Upon entering the village both Kagome and Miroku were horrified with what greeted their eyes. Many were injured, some dead, while the remaining villagers wept.

"It's all your fault! As soon as you left a swarm of demons came and killed what remaining people we had that were not injured! Why did you not return when we cried out for you! Why!" a woman cried. It was the woman with the dead baby; Sango recognized her face from before, and she was now pointing a finger accusingly at her. "You are siding with the demons! Why else would they attack us right when you left! You evil monster! Go die!"

"I would never side with demons," Sango reasoned. "It's mere coincidence that his has happened, and I grieve for your village's loss. I'm sorry I was not here to aide you all when you needed me the most."

"You said this was Kaede's village, so where is she?" Miroku looked around, hoping to see the old priestess bowed amongst the many injured and dead.

"She's yonder there," the angry woman from before replied, pointing a small mound of bodies. "Lying there breathing her last breaths."

"Kaede!" Sango made her way to the indicated spot. Sure enough the old woman was lying there, bathed in her own blood from waist down. "Kaede! What's happened!"

"Demons . . . An entire army's worth came through here, pillaging what they could take and killing what they did not consider of any worth . . . I've failed my people . . ." Kaede sputtered on the last part, blood flying from her gaping mouth. ". . . Help the ones that are alive . . . Leave me here; I'll be fine."

Sango wanted to say something but no words would form for her. ". . . . . ."

To Be Continued!


	16. XVI: Fix What Can Be Fixed

Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to own the characters they all belong to Rumiko Takahashi, not me.

A/N: Sesshoumaru (and family . . .) and his grandma got some super corny last names; at least I think so! And I don't even know what they mean, that is if they mean anything at all in Japanese! XD This chapter took me longer to finish than I first anticipated. Sorry for my lateness of updating!

A Gap Across Time

XVI: Fix What Can Be Fixed

"Go in, Souta."

"No, I don't wanna go in first."

"Don't be such a chicken."

"But, mom . . ."

"Do it for your mother, will you?"

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and tried to shut out the voices of Kagome's mother and little brother. They were annoying him and he would have loved to silence him, but having an obligation towards the raven-haired girl (whether he wished to acknowledge it or not) made it so that it would be unjust to kill her family. He waited until finally (fortunately for him) Mrs. Higurashi came in first, giving up on trying to make her son take the first step.

She immediately noted that the demon lord was staring at her. "Oh, hello there." She walked in, followed behind by her son. "Kagome isn't here with you?" She took the time to look around her daughter's room. She then looked back at Sesshoumaru and also noted that he was looking pretty angry. "I didn't mean to bother you; my sincerest apologies. If you do see Kagome by any chance, then please do tell her that I want to see her."

Sesshoumaru actually nodded his head, because it was quite rude to disrespect one's parents (well, humans didn't really count, but he had a obligation after all) and ignore them when they were speaking to you or responding in a really rude way. Sesshoumaru had learned this long ago when he first met his mother's mother for the first time.

-----

**"Sesshoumaru, I'd like for you to come with me to the garden," Lord Inutaisho said, poking his head inside his eldest son's study. It was rare for his father to personally come and get him (let alone his father wanting to roam about the palace aimlessly to begin with) when it wasn't necessary to do so.**

**"What is it, father?" Sesshoumaru asked. "Why do you wish for me to go out there?"**

**"I'd like for you to meet someone, my son," he replied.**

**"Who?" Sesshoumaru tried to peek into the garden, but his father blocked his view. "Who is it? I'm even more curious now, since you're trying to hide the person. It's not a girl for me, is it? Aren't I too young to get married?"**

**Inutaisho laughed, enjoying his son's curiosity. He patted his son on the head, while saying, "no, I am not trying to find you a partner for marriage, at least not yet. That time will come when you are grown to a suitable age. Remember, marriage and children are very important if you are to keep this kingdom and our bloodline going." Sesshoumaru nodded - he'd been told them many times before, even as a small child. He was now ten and he's known that one day he was going to get married, regardless if he loved the woman or not. Making babies to him was just like a job, really. Pretty sad to think of it that way, though, but he never voiced this thought of his, so his father didn't know of the role he wished to play. "However, who I'd like for you to meet is very close to your mother." **

**"Oh, is that him, Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru heard someone ask.**

**As it was previously stated, Sesshoumaru is ten-year-old, while his younger half-brother, Inuyasha, is five-years-old. Inuyasha was nodding his head when his older brother caught sight of him standing next to a very elderly looking youkai.**

**"Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha chirped. "Come meet grandma Su!"**

**_Grandma Su? _The kid took the time to give her a thorough examination. She had floppy, long dog ears that fell to the end of her neck, and they were a beautiful wooden brown. Her wrinkled profile held before them soft, green-colored eyes, a small pointed nose, and a wide smile sufficed with small, thin lips. Her hair was also a wooden brown, but more so of a darker shade than her ears. What she clothed herself with seemed to be the clothing of an queen of some other foreign nation Sesshoumaru had yet to hear of. Atop her head was a golden crown embedded with ruby jewels, and sapphires as blue as the ocean. An outer layer (the color of beige) overlapped another long-sleeved garment she wore underneath that came down to the tips of her knuckles. A wide, yellow obi was used to fasten her clothes together, and it had the emblem of a tree leaf, crisp and new-looking in color and design. What finished her outfit were her shoes, which were plain looking and black in color. _How come I've never heard of her until now? How should Inuyasha know of her before I?_**

**"Lord Inutaisho, he must be the son you've spoken to me about in your letters." The old woman looked to Sesshoumaru's father. "He's even more handsome in person; I can see why you praise him so graciously - he looks well-bred and does not seem to lack talent - I can tell from his posture."**

**Sesshoumaru was a little unnerved; the old woman was reading him as if he was an open book. It was true that he had great potential, being born with gorgeous looks, a talented body, and foremost of all, a well-trained poise.**

**"What about me, grandma Su?" Inuyasha didn't like that he was not being showered with attention.**

**"You're my adorable little grandson that I treasure greatly. What more can an old youkai like me ask for, eh?" Inuyasha giggled, blushing a light shade of red. "Ah, I've to formally introduce myself." Grandma Su turned to face Sesshoumaru. "My young Lord, my name is Misou Su, mother to Misou Chieko and grandmother to both you and Inuyasha."**

**"I am Inukai Sesshoumaru. You are the blood mother of my mother?" Sesshoumaru asked. She nodded. "Then why is it that I have never heard of you until now? How could Inuyasha be acquainted to you before I?"**

**"Sesshoumaru," Inutaisho warned, noting that his son was stepping out of line with his questions.**

**"No, it's quite all right." Grandmother Su raised a hand into the air to signal that she was not provoked in any way. "Indeed, it must be puzzling to you as to why I'd know your half-brother before you. Under unexpected circumstances Inuyasha was sent to my home during the time that you were recuperating."**

**_Recuperating? So that was where Inuyasha had gone to when I was in that phase? Why was he sent there and not allowed to remain here? _"Yes, there was a time when I was severely ill; it is a most unwanted memory." Grandmother Su frowned, thinking that she might of hurt Sesshoumaru's feelings somehow. "My illness became so bad that it must be the utmost priority that Inuyasha was sent elsewhere till I recovered - it is all completely understandable. It was already considered a fatal issue at my age; surely, it would have been worse for him if he were to catch it." _A mistake it must have not been._**

**Sesshoumaru was watching his grandmother's expression carefully and he noticed that she grimaced when he spoke of Inuyasha's absence from home. Did saying that bring up something that she recalled about his younger brother? Was it something unpleasant? Curiosity was a extremely strong nature within everyone, and it wasn't any less weaker in Sesshoumaru. He just had to ask.**

**"Grandmother Su, did Inuyasha's stay at your home bother you?"**

**This was something he shouldn't have asked, because her expression went from annoyance to pure anger. If this was a way of showing disrespect in a subtler way than most ways, then Sesshoumaru was doing just that. Grandma Su raised one hand into the air, letting it swing down, hand making contact with Sesshoumaru's right cheek. "How insolent you are! I would have thought your father has taught you better! Am I assumed to be wrong?" Sesshoumaru was surprised by the sudden strike; he hadn't been struck by anyone in such a long time that this stinging sensation on his cheek almost felt like a foreign feeling. "You hold no such power to ask such personal questions, whether you be a grandchild or servant of mine!"**

**"Apologize."**

**Sesshoumaru looked to his father, an unreadable look coming to his yellow-colored orbs. "Grandmother Su," he fixed his gaze on the old youkai, "I am sorry. I did not mean to offend you. And I assure you I was raised the correct way; I merely stepped out of line and said something I shouldn't have. Please excuse such behavior and I will make sure not to do a unwanted repeat."**

**"Grandma Su, it's okay." Inuyasha tugged on the sleeve of her robes. "I can tell him what it was like while I was living with you. It won't hurt me at all."**

**"Shush, Inuyasha," she reprimanded.**

**From there on, Sesshoumaru learned to respect all and every noble family member that was of a head more powerful than he. He was only allowed to bully his little brother, Inuyasha, however, the little runt could take only so much before he'd start wailing and run to his mother. Sesshoumaru enjoyed doing this for a short while, but the fun of it died away quickly, making it a dry sense of humor to terrorize his younger sibling. Of course, purposely hurting Inuyasha meant that he was to receive punishment, but it was never something too unbearable.**

**One day Inuyasha approached his older brother and said, "my stay with Grandma Su was not very fun. I was not allowed to do anything that was considered childish. I was more than happy to be back here in this palace with you."**

**"Like I would be thrilled to have you back . . ." **

**"Don't be a meanie!"**

**"We are only half-siblings, and I think of you as nothing more."**

**"Well," Inuyasha sadly smiled, "I'd tell you more about my stay with Grandma Su, but it seems like you really don't care about me, anyway."**

-----

"Wait."

Mrs. Higurashi humbly turned around to look at him. "Yes?"

"She's gone to the well," Sesshoumaru said, "and she has yet to return."

"The well?" Souta recalled going there before, and he didn't remember seeing his sister there at all. "I went there earlier, but there was no one there. Well, Buyo decided to run inside, and when I went in there to retrieve him I didn't see Kagome anywhere." Sesshoumaru slightly tensed at hearing what Souta was saying. "Maybe she went out with her friends."

"That sounds a lot like her; she could never turn anyone down who asked for a favor, especially if they are her friends," Mrs. Higurashi added.

Sesshoumaru wanted to scoff, do anything to show his disregard for the girl's stupidity. Who would be willing to do anything, and I mean absolutely anything for a friend, regardless of what the favor could be? For example, if she was asked by a friend to go jump off a cliff, would she do it? Sesshoumaru wasn't sure how far Kagome would go for a friend, but he could take guess at it.

"I can go look for her," Souta offered. "I know where all her friends live, and I can go ask."

Mrs. Higurashi sweat dropped - she had no idea that her son was so knowledgeable when it came to his sister's friends. _Since when does he know where all of Kagome's friends live?_ "If you're willing to go do that, then I suppose it's all right. Come back safely, okay, honey?"

"I will, mom."

With Souta gone it was only Mrs. Higurashi and Sesshoumaru that were left inside the room. The demon lord would have continued to remain silent, if it weren't for Kagome's mother trying to talk to him. Spark up a conversation no less.

"So, how has Kagome been treating you as of late?" Sesshoumaru blatantly stared at her, not saying anything at first. "Ah, well, I don't mean to pry, but it'd be nice to get some feedback on my daughter. Her dream job is to become a doctor one day so that she can help injured people. Her starting off with you is a good start as any."

"I am not her patient," Sesshoumaru stated.

"I didn't mean it like that." Mrs. Higurashi was getting more and more tense, with the way Sesshoumaru kept staring at her, his golden-colored eyes suspicious of her every movement and words. "Medicine has always been her forte, whether she ever acknowledged it or not, but at a young age she took great interest in medicine and wanted to learn all she could about it. How this came about though, is not something I'd like to openly tell someone not within the family. I'm not trying to offend you, of course."

"I care not for such idle nonsense. Human medicine does not outsource the medicine from my time."

Mrs. Higurashi's left eyebrow began to twitch, having a nerve painfully struck by Sesshoumaru's acid-like words. "I see . . . That's good to hear."

-----

"This is bad."

Kagome's two companions stared at her in puzzlement. "What is?" Sango asked. "Other than Kaede's village, that is."

"Sesshoumaru . . ." Kagome bit her lower lip nervously. "I need to go back to my time, because Sesshoumaru is over there. He must be wondering right now what's happened to me. I told him that I was going to inspect the well but I didn't expect to be sucked to the other side. What am I going to do?" Miroku and Sango exchanged wary glances, but said nothing. "He's left alone with my family now . . . What if he attacks them? I'll be guilt-ridden for the rest of my life!"

"Aheheheheh, I don't think he's that brash of a person to attack your family, Kagome," Miroku assured her. "Inuyasha, on the other hand, seems more likely to do so."

"Right now isn't the time to worry about this, though. We still have several injured people we need to tend to," Sango expressed, showing both Miroku and Kagome that now was the not time to worry about something they had no control over. "Miroku, would you and Kirara go to the nearest stream around here and draw some water?"

"You're being a bit pushy now, aren't you?" Miroku dodged an incoming slap to his face by swerving his body to the left. "I'm going! I'm going! Geeze! Come on, Kirara."

I swear," the demon exterminator watched the forms of Miroku and Kirara as they walked away, "Miroku isn't taking this as seriously as he should be. Kaede's lost a lot of people in this village, so it's best if we try our hardest to help those who are still alive."

"Hearing you say that makes me feel terrible." Kagome was at fault, too, supposedly. "I'll go check outside to see if anyone needs anything."

"Okay."

Several people looked at Kagome when she emerged from the tent, and she was well aware that some of them were giving her wary looks. _Do I really look that suspicious? _"Um, does anyone need anything?" she asked, looking all around her. "I . . . I may not look very experienced in the medicinal field, but I will try my to help anyone in need. So, don't be afraid to ask."

"My child," a woman started. "May you come see to the aching on her leg?"

Kagome nodded. "Let's see." She lifted the child's leg into the air, thus causing her to whimper. "I'm sorry, did that hurt?"

"Mommy's here with me; I'll be fine," she replied. "Your hands feel very warm."

"Thank you. Where does it hurt most?" Kagome felt around the leg - she couldn't see any sort of bruise, but she's had these injuries before too, where you can't see anything wrong but it hurt anyway.

"Here." The child pointed to a certain spot on her leg.

_Okay! Here goes! Hope this is going to work! _Kagome placed both palms on the indicated spot and focused all her attention there. She, as well as the child, could feel a warm sensation coursing within themselves, and the girl stared at Kagome in amazement, eyes growing incredibility wide. _Focus, Kagome, focus. _

"There . . ." Kagome opened her eyes and stared down at her own hands. ". . . That should do it, I think."

"It doesn't hurt anymore! Thank you!" the little girl happily exclaimed.

And it was after she tended to the woman's child, did requests by other people began popping up for assistance. The ones that thought she was a shady-looking character no longer thought as such, and they eagerly awaited her ministrations, as she went around the group of people.

Miroku and Kirara came back to see a very exhausted looking teenage girl sitting under a tree fanning herself with a large leaf. Kirara was the first to reach her, and she gently nudged Kagome on one leg. Kagome looked at her and smiled.

"You seem exhausted. What have you been doing this whole time, Kagome?" Miroku asked.

"I was using my powers to help the villagers. I didn't think it would be so effective though . . ."

"Well, you are the reincarnate of Kikyou, so it's only natural that you've inherited some of her abilities." Miroku failed to notice the pained look that came to his companion's face. Kirara did notice, but what can a furry little creature like her do? "In any case, I wonder where Sango is . . . I ought to give her this the water I've brought back or else she'll get on my case, if you know what I mean."

"I know exactly what you mean, Miroku."

"Will you be okay here by yourself?"

"Yeah."

"If you say so."

For some reason Kagome felt extremely tired, and she couldn't help but lean her head back against the bark of the tree and close her eyes. _I don't think I've felt this worn out in my entire life! Maybe stress and using my priestess powers is the cause for this - yeah, it has to be. I think I'll just rest for a bit . . . here. _It didn't take very long before Kagome was fast asleep.

"Is she dead?" Someone pokes Kagome with a stick - she did not stir. "She's not moving."

"Hello?" Another person calls out (quite loudly). Still no response from the slumbering girl. "Hello? Can you hear me?"

"Children! Get away from there! Can't you see she's resting?" A woman hissed, making shooing motions with her arms. "You should be grateful that she's helped us earlier today!"

As Kagome slept, she was swept up in a swirl of strangeness within her dream:

"Ooohhhh, he's so handsome! I can't believe he's actually related to Higurashi!" Someone squealed, a little painful to the ears if one were to be too close to the sound. "Don't let him remain as a mystery man, Kagome! Introduce him to us!"

Sesshoumaru mouthed to her, 'say anything and you're dead'.

Kagome nervously laughed.

"Kagome." The calling of her name was faint, but she could definitely hear it. "Kagome, wake up. If you sleep here you're going to catch a cold. Kagome."

Brown eyes snapped open; Miroku was looking at her in the face. "What's the matter?" Kagome woke up from her dream too soon to see what was going to happen next. She wouldn't have minded finding out . . .

To Be Continued!


End file.
